PICTOGRAPHIC MODE AWARENESS DISPLAY FOR AIRCRAFT

• US 20050085959A1
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert R. Richardson
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Feyereisen, Thea L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,892,118 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32

Abstract

A device, method and computer program for generating and displaying graphical displays symbolic of current and available operational modes of instrument systems, such as navigation and autopilot systems. Accordingly, the method of the invention includes receiving a signal representative of a current mode of operation of one or more instrument systems, interpreting the current mode of operation signal to determine the current mode of operation, outputting a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the current mode of operation, and displaying the pictographic representation of the current mode of operation on a display device, such as a cockpit panel display.

Claims

1. A pictographic display of an operational mode of an instrument or instrument system, the pictographic display comprising:

a graphical display device;

a pictographic symbol displayed on the display device, the pictographic symbol comprising;

an enunciator symbolic of a current operational state of the instrument or instrument system,

an enunciator symbolic of a next operational state of the instrument or instrument system, and

an enunciator symbolic of a current mode of flight of an aircraft having the display device resident thereon.

2. The display of claim 1 wherein the enunciator symbolic of a current operational state further comprises an alphanumeric enunciator.

3. The display of claim 1 wherein the enunciator symbolic of a current operational state further comprises an emphasized enunciator.

4. The display of claim 1 wherein the enunciator symbolic of a current operational state is further displayed within an emphasized area of a pictographic display.

5. The display of claim 1 wherein the enunciator symbolic of a next operational state further comprises an alphanumeric enunciator.

6. The display of claim 1 wherein the enunciator symbolic of a current mode of flight further comprises a directional enunciator.

7. The display of claim 1 wherein the enunciator symbolic of a current mode of flight further comprises a pointer symbol.

8. A pictographic display comprising:

first and second coexisting adjacent display portions;

first pictographic symbology associated with the first display portion and being representative of a currently operational state of an instrument; and

second pictographic symbology associated with the second display portion and being representative of a currently armed but non-operational state of the instrument.

9. The display of claim 8 wherein the first display portion further comprises a visually emphasized background portion.

10. The display of claim 8 wherein the first pictographic symbology further comprises an alphanumeric enunciator associated with the first portion.

11. The display of claim 10 wherein the alphanumeric enunciator associated with the first portion further comprises a visually emphasized alphanumeric enunciator.

12. The display of claim 8, further comprising a directional indicator associated with the first display portion and being representative of a current vertical speed of an aircraft having the pictographic display displayed thereon.

13. The display of claim 8, further comprising a computer program structured to:

receive a first signal representative of a currently operational state of the instrument and a second signal representative of a currently armed but non-operational state of the instrument;

generate the first and second coexisting adjacent display portions and the first and second pictographic symbologies; and

output one or more signals representative of the first and second coexisting adjacent display portions and the first and second pictographic symbologies.

14. A device for generating a pictographic representation of an operational mode of an instrument, the device comprising:

means for receiving a signal representative of a current mode of operation of an instrument system;

means for determining from the received signal a current mode of operation of the instrument system;

means for generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the current mode of operation and a next mode of operation; and

means for outputting the control signal.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the means for generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the current mode of operation further comprises means for applying visual emphasis to the pictographic representation.

16. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

means for receiving a signal representative of a currently armed mode of operation of the instrument system;

means for determining from the received currently armed mode of operation signal a currently armed mode of operation of the instrument system;

means for generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the currently armed mode of operation; and

means for outputting the currently armed mode control signal.

17. The device of claim 14;

further comprising;

means for receiving a signal representative of a current mode of flight of an aircraft having the instrument system resident thereon;

means for determining from the received current mode of flight signal a current mode of flight of the aircraft;

means for generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the current mode of flight; and

means for outputting the current mode of flight control signal.

18. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

means for receiving a signal representative of a vertical speed of an aircraft having the device resident thereon;

means for determining from the received signal a vertical speed of the aircraft;

means for generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the vertical speed of the aircraft; and

means for outputting the vertical speed control signal.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the means for determining the vertical speed of the aircraft further comprises means for determining a sign of the vertical speed.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the means for generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the vertical speed of the aircraft further comprises means for generating a control signal informing a signed pictographic representation symbolic of the vertical speed.

21. An aircraft cockpit display comprising:

a memory having a plurality of machine instructions stored thereon for generating a display control signal representative of a pictographic enunciator symbolizing a current operational state and an alternate operational state of an onboard instrument or instrument system;

a processor coupled to receive a signal representative of a currently operational mode of the onboard instrument or instrument system, the processor being further coupled to retrieve and operate the plurality of machine instructions stored on the memory for generating the pictographic enunciator display control signal;

a display generator coupled to receive display control signal, the display generator being structured to interpret the display control signal to generate the pictographic enunciator; and

a graphical display device coupled to the display generator and structured to display the pictographic enunciator.

22. The display of claim 21 wherein the plurality of machine instructions stored on the memory further comprise machine instructions for generating a display control signal representative of a pictographic enunciator symbolizing a currently armed but non-operational state of the onboard instrument or instrument system;

and

the processor is further coupled to receive a signal representative of the currently armed but non-operational state of the onboard instrument or instrument system.

23. The display of claim 21 wherein the plurality of machine instructions stored on the memory further comprise machine instructions for generating a display control signal representative of a pictographic enunciator symbolizing a flight mode of an aircraft hosting the cockpit display;

and

the processor is further coupled to receive a signal representative of the flight mode of the host aircraft.

24. The display of claim 21 wherein the plurality of machine instructions stored on the memory further comprise machine instructions for generating a display control signal representative of a pictographic enunciator symbolizing a vertical speed of an aircraft hosting the cockpit display;

and

the processor is further coupled to receive a signal representative of the vertical speed of the host aircraft.

25. A method for generating a pictographic representation of an operational mode of an instrument, the method comprising:

receiving a signal representative of a currently operational mode of operation of an instrument system;

determining the currently operational mode of operation of the instrument system;

generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the currently operational mode of operation and a next mode of operation; and

outputting the currently operational control signal.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising displaying the pictographical representation of the currently operational mode of operation on a display device.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the pictographic representation symbolic of the currently operational mode of operation further comprises a visually emphasized operational mode area having positioned therein a visually emphasized alphanumeric operational mode enunciator that announces the currently operational mode of operation.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the visually emphasized operational mode area includes positioned therein a current mode of flight indicator.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the current mode of flight indicator further comprises a visual directional enunciator that visually indicates a current mode of flight of a host aircraft.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising predicting a next mode of operation of the instrument system.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein predicting a next mode of operation of the instrument system further comprises:

receiving a signal representative of an armed mode of operation of an instrument system;

determining the currently armed mode of operation of the instrument system;

generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation symbolic of the currently armed mode of operation; and

outputting the currently armed mode control signal.

32. A method for using an electronic circuit to convert a signal conveying data as an operational mode of an instrument system for display as a pictographic representation of an operational mode and a next mode of the instrument system, the method comprising:

a) processing the signal as a signal representative of a current mode of operation of one or more of an instrument and an instrument system;

b) with the electronic circuit, determining a current mode of operation of the one or more of an instrument and an instrument system;

c) with the electronic circuit, generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation descriptive of the current mode of operation; and

d) with the electronic circuit, outputting the control signal.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein generating a control signal informing a pictographic representation descriptive of the current mode of operation further comprises applying a visual emphasis to the pictographic representation.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising displaying the pictographic representation.

35. A computer program, comprising:

a first computer-readable program code means for receiving a signal representative a current mode of operation of one or more instrument systems;

a second computer-readable program code means for determining a current mode of operation of the instrument system from the current mode of operation receive by the first computer-readable program code means; and

a third computer-readable program code means for generating and outputting a display control signal informing a pictographical representation symbolic of the current mode and a next mode of operation determined from the second computer-readable program code means.

36. The computer program of claim 35 wherein the first computer-readable program code means for receiving a signal representative of a current mode of operation of the instrument system further comprises computer-readable program code means for receiving a signal representative of a current vertical speed of the aircraft.

37. The computer program of claim 36 wherein the second computer-readable program code means for determining a current mode of operation of the instrument system further comprises computer-readable program code means for determining the current vertical speed of the aircraft.

38. The computer program of claim 37 wherein the third computer-readable program code means for generating and outputting a display control signal informing a pictographical representation symbolic of the current mode of operation of the system further comprises computer-readable program code means for generating and outputting a display control signal informing an alphanumeric representation of the value of the current vertical speed.

39. The computer program of claim 38 wherein the third computer-readable program code means for generating and outputting a display control signal informing a pictographical representation symbolic of the current mode of operation of the system further comprises computer-readable program code means for generating and outputting a display control signal informing an alphanumeric representation of the value of the current vertical speed further comprises means for generating and outputting the display control signal informing an alphanumeric representation of the value of the current vertical speed in combination with the display control signal informing a pictographical representation symbolic of the current mode of operation.

40. The computer program of claim 35, further comprising:

a fourth computer-readable program code means for receiving a signal representative of a currently armed but non-operational mode of the instrument;

a fifth computer-readable program code means for determining a currently armed but non-operational mode of the instrument system; and

a sixth computer-readable program code means for generating and outputting a display control signal informing a pictographical representation symbolic of the currently armed but non-operational mode of the instrument system determined from the fourth computer-readable program code means.

41. The computer program of claim 35, further comprising:

a fourth computer-readable program code means for receiving a signal representative of a current directional mode of an aircraft having the computer program operating thereon a fifth computer-readable program code means for processing the current directional mode signal received by the fourth computer-readable program code means and determining a flight mode of the aircraft;

a sixth computer-readable program code means for generating from the determined current flight mode a display control signal informing a pictographical representation symbolic of the determined current flight mode and outputting the display control signal.

42. The computer program of claim 41 wherein the flight mode of the aircraft determined by the fifth computer-readable program code means further comprises one of a level, an ascending and a descending flight mode.

43. The computer program of claim 41 wherein the fourth computer-readable program code means for receiving a signal representative of a current directional mode of the aircraft further comprises computer-readable program code means for receiving a signal representative of a current vertical speed of the aircraft.

44. The computer program of claim 43 wherein the fifth computer-readable program code means for processing the received directional mode signal and determining a current flight mode further comprises computer-readable program code means for processing the directional mode signal for determining a current vertical rate of climb or descent of the aircraft.

45. The computer program of claim 44 wherein the sixth computer-readable program code means for generating a display control signal informing a pictographical representation symbolic of the determined current flight mode and outputting the display control signal further comprises means for informing a slope of the pictographical representation symbolic of the current vertical rate of climb or descent of the aircraft.

46. The computer program of claim 45 wherein the pictographical representation of the slope of the pictographical representation symbolic of vertical rate further comprises a slope that is substantially proportional to the current vertical rate of climb or descent of the aircraft determined by the fifth computer-readable program code means.

47. The computer program of claim 45 wherein the pictographical representation of the slope of the pictographical representation symbolic of vertical rate further comprises a slope that is one of a variable, a geometric, an exponential, and a logarithmic function of the angle of the current vertical rate of climb or descent of the aircraft determined by the fifth computer-readable program code means.