Aviation mask

• US 10,204,453 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Group India Private Limited
• Original Assignee: Airbus Group India Private Limited
• Inventors: Sharma, Anurag
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jin Cheng
• Application Number:
  US15/244,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20170069136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 345633, 434 38
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/02 Masks gas-masks for animals A62B18/06; masks for welders A61F9/06
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2231/025 Oxygen masks; Mask storages seats combined with storage means, said storage means being specially adapted for emergency equipment B64D11/0629; Features related to mask deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

An aviation mask is disclosed which includes an augmented reality visor, sensors, and a display computational unit. The sensors are communicatively connected to the augmented reality visor. The sensors detect a portion of a cockpit area of an aircraft that is viewed by an aircraft crew member wearing the augmented reality visor during a vision obscured emergency. The display computational unit is communicatively connected to the augmented reality visor and the sensors. The display computational unit projects a prestored image associated with the portion of the cockpit area in front of the augmented reality visor. Further, the display computational unit superimposes the prestored image over the portion of the cockpit area viewed by the aircraft crew member. The superimposed prestored image being viewed by the aircraft crew member through the augmented reality visor to identify objects in the portion of the cockpit area during the vision obscured emergency.

Claims

1. An aviation mask comprising:

an augmented reality visor;

at least one sensor communicatively connected to the augmented reality visor, wherein the at least one sensor detects a portion of a cockpit area of an aircraft that is viewed by an aircraft crew member wearing the augmented reality visor during a vision obscured emergency; and

a display computational unit communicatively connected to the augmented reality visor and the at least one sensor, wherein the display computational unit adapted to;

project a prestored image associated with the portion of the cockpit area in front of the augmented reality visor, wherein the prestored image comprises an image of the portion of the aircraft with identifiers and control information of one or more objects in the portion of the cockpit area; and

superimpose the prestored image over the portion of the cockpit area viewed by the aircraft crew member, wherein the superimposed prestored image being viewed by the aircraft crew member through the augmented reality visor to identify the one or more objects in the portion of the cockpit area during the vision obscured emergency.

2. The aviation mask of claim 1, wherein the portion of the aircraft comprises at least one control on a control panel in the cockpit area of the aircraft.

3. The aviation mask of claim 1, wherein the display computational unit superimposes the prestored image over the portion of the cockpit area viewed by the aircraft crew member by:

detecting edges of the portion of the cockpit area using the at least one sensor; and

aligning the projected prestored image of the portion of the cockpit area over the portion of the cockpit area viewed by the aircraft crew member.

4. The aviation mask of claim 1, wherein the display computational unit overlays a plurality of control commands or procedural instructions on the augmented reality visor to enable the aircraft crew member to select one or more control commands or a procedural instruction.

5. The aviation mask of claim 4, further comprising:

a pupil tracking unit to track pupil of the aircraft crew member, wherein the display computational unit enables the aircraft crew member to navigate through the control commands displayed on the augmented reality visor based on the tracking information and the one or more control commands or the procedural instruction selected by the aircraft crew member.

6. The aviation mask of claim 4, further comprising:

at least one sensor to track head position or eye position of the aircraft crew member, wherein the display computational unit enables the aircraft crew member to select a cockpit control and provides directions to the aircraft crew member to navigate to the selected cockpit control based on the head position or the eye position.

7. The aviation mask of claim 4, further comprising:

an audio input device to enable the aircraft crew member to select one or more control commands or the procedural instruction.

8. The aviation mask of claim 4, further comprising:

an audio output device to read out the plurality of the control commands or the procedural instructions.

9. The aviation mask of claim 1, wherein the display computational unit is operatively coupled to a flight management system and configured to:

display flight management information on the augmented reality visor for enabling the aircraft crew member to control the aircraft during the vision obscured emergency.

10. The aviation mask of claim 9, wherein the flight management information comprises at least one of autopilot data, flight director information, flight path vector, boresight, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) or Global Positioning System (GPS) data, positioning data, aircraft speed, aircraft altitude, track to nearby airports, inertial navigation data, data associated with configuration of the aircraft, and a frequency for radio or text communication with a ground-based flight control.

11. The aviation mask of claim 1, wherein the display computational unit is further configured to:

display information associated with aircraft'"'"'s surroundings on a portion of the augmented reality visor, wherein the information associated with the aircraft'"'"'s surroundings is obtained from at least one sensor connected to an outer surface of the aircraft.

12. The aviation mask of claim 1, further comprising:

a smoke sensor for sensing smoke in the cockpit of the aircraft and providing an output signal;

a mouth and nose piece connected to the augmented reality visor, and

a regulator connected to the mouth and nose piece and electronically coupled to the smoke sensor for automatically supplying a respiratory gas to the aircraft crew member through the mouth and nose piece based on the output signal from the smoke sensor, wherein the respiratory gas comprises oxygen.

13. The aviation mask of claim 12, further comprising:

a first valve and a second valve connected to the regulator to enable demisting around the augmented reality visor using the respiratory gas, wherein the first valve is connected to the mouth and nose piece and the second valve is connected to a face seal.

14. A method for identifying objects inside a cockpit area of an aircraft during a vision obscured emergency, comprising:

detecting a portion of the cockpit area viewed by an aircraft crew member wearing an augmented reality visor during the vision obscured emergency;

projecting a prestored image associated with the portion of the cockpit area in front of the augmented reality visor, wherein the prestored image comprises an image of the portion of the aircraft with identifiers and control information of one or more objects in the portion of the cockpit area; and

superimposing the prestored image over the portion of the cockpit area viewed by the aircraft crew member, wherein the superimposed prestored image being viewed by the aircraft crew member through the augmented reality visor to identify the one or more objects in the portion of the cockpit area during the vision obscured emergency.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein projecting a prestored image associated with the portion of the cockpit area in front of the augmented reality visor is based on a distance between the aircraft crew member and the portion of the cockpit area.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the portion of the cockpit area comprises at least one control on a control panel in the cockpit area of the aircraft.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the prestored image comprises an image of the at least one control on the cockpit area of the aircraft along with identifiers and/or functional information of the at least one control.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein superimposing the prestored image over the portion of the cockpit area viewed by the aircraft crew member, comprising:

detecting edges of the portion of the cockpit area using the at least one sensor; and

aligning the projected prestored image of the portion of the cockpit area over the portion of the cockpit area viewed by the aircraft crew member.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

tracking pupil of the aircraft crew member to navigate the aircraft crew member through the control commands overlaid on the augmented reality visor based on the tracking information and the one or more control commands or the procedural instruction selected by the aircraft crew member.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

reading out the plurality of overlaid control commands or the procedural instructions using an audio output device.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

overlaying a plurality of control commands or procedural instructions on the augmented reality visor to enable the aircraft crew member to select one or more control commands or a procedural instruction.