Aircraft standby display device and system

• US 20040236481A1
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus France
• Inventors: Rouquette, Patrice, Saint-Aroman, Stephane, Plat, Marielle
• Granted Patent: US 7,415,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration

Abstract

The device (1) comprises a set (3) of information sources, an information processing unit (4), a display means (6) comprising a display screen (8), and a configuration means (9) allowing an operator to configure said device (1), according to one of the three configuration states, a first configuration state, for which the display means (6) presents aircraft piloting information, a second configuration state, for which the display means (6) presents aircraft navigation information, and a third configuration state, for which the display means (6) presents both piloting information and navigation information.

Claims

1. A standby display device of an aircraft, said standby display device comprising:

a set of information sources;

an information processing unit capable of processing information originating from said set of information sources; and

a display means capable of presenting on at least one display screen processed information originating from said information processing unit,

wherein it also comprises a configuration means by which an operator can configure said standby display device, according to one of the following three configuration states;

a first configuration state, for which said display means presents aircraft piloting information on the display screen;

a second configuration state, for which said display means presents navigation information of the aircraft on the display screen; and

a third configuration state, for which said display means presents both piloting information and navigation information on the display screen.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said set of information sources comprises sources which are installed on the aircraft and which supply position indications, and wherein the position indications supplied by these sources are part of said navigation information.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, when said standby display device is configured in one of said second and third configuration states for presenting navigation information:

said information processing unit determines the theoretical flight path the aircraft should follow, and the deviation between the effective position of the aircraft and said theoretical flight path; and

said display means presents said theoretical flight path and said deviation on said display screen.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein it also comprises an input means allowing an operator to enter data in said standby display device and wherein, when said standby display device is configured in one of said second and third configuration states allowing presentation of navigation information:

said input means is used to enter flight path waypoints; and

said display means presents on said display screen the flight path waypoints thus entered.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said set of information sources comprises a device capable of supplying information on the horizontal position of the aircraft, and wherein, when said standby display device is configured in one of said second and third configuration states for presenting navigation information, said display means presents said horizontal position of the aircraft on said display screen.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, when said standby display device is configured in one of said second and third configuration states for presenting navigation information:

said information processing unit determines an indication of direction toward a predetermined geographic waypoint in latitude and in longitude; and

said display means presents said direction indication on said display screen.

7. An aircraft standby display system,

wherein it comprises at least two standby display devices of the type specified in claim 1.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7,

wherein said two standby display devices are identical.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the two sets of information sources of said standby display devices are part of one and the same information unit and wherein the two information processing units of said two standby display devices are part of one and the same central unit.

10. An aircraft display system, said display system comprising at least one main display device, wherein it also comprises a standby display system as specified in claim 7.

11. The display system as claimed in claim 10,

wherein said main display device comprises information sources and wherein said two sets of information sources of said two standby display devices of said standby display system are distinct from said information sources of said main display device.