An intelligent, optoelectronic docking system for use in manned or unmanned spacecraft for automatically docking with a target spacecraft. The system is a multifaceted, active sensor using a controlling microprocessor to integrate the operation of independently triggerable laser sources for target illumination...http://www.google.ca/patents/US4834531?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US4834531 - Dead reckoning optoelectronic intelligent docking system
