System and method for increasing visibility of critical flight information on aircraft displays

• US 20090207048A1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: He, Gang, Engels, Jary E., Wilson, Blake W., Feyereisen, Thea L., Wyatt, Ivan S., Gannon, Aaron J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/973
• 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

System and method increase the visibility of critical flight information on electronic displays. An aircraft display system includes a processing unit, a flight management system, a navigation system, a database for storing target data and terrain data, a graphics display generator, and a visual display. The flight management system and/or the navigation system provide real-time aircraft operational and flight control information. The processing unit directs the graphics display generator to generate graphic control signals for the visual display, which increase the transparency of a segment of a zero pitch reference line in the vicinity of a flight path marker on the display.

Claims

1. A system for increasing visibility of flight information on a visual display, comprising:

a flight management information unit, said flight management information unit operable to determine at least one of a current position, direction, pitch and path of an aircraft;

a data storage unit, said data storage unit operable to store target data and terrain data; and

a processing unit coupled to said flight management information unit, said processing unit operable to;

receive said at least one of current position, direction, pitch and path of said aircraft;

receive said target data and said terrain data;

generate a first plurality of control signals for a visual display, said first plurality of control signals representing a flight control symbol for said visual display;

generate a second plurality of control signals for said visual display, said second plurality of control signals representing a second symbol for said visual display, said second symbol associated with said pitch of said aircraft;

generate a third plurality of control signals for said visual display, said third plurality of control signals representing a gap in said second symbol for said visual display, said gap associated with a position of said flight control symbol on said visual display; and

generate said third plurality of control signals for said visual display so as to adjust a transparency of said gap and enhance a visibility of at least one of said target data and said terrain data on said visual display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said processing unit is further operable to:

generate a fourth plurality of control signals for said visual display so as to adjust a transparency of a portion of said second symbol, if said portion of said second symbol coincides with a flight information tape or scale on said visual display.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said processing unit is further operable to:

generate a fifth plurality of control signals for said visual display so as to adjust a transparency of at least one of a flight path direction symbol and scale on said visual display, if said flight path direction symbol is disposed on said visual display within a predetermined distance from an end of said gap on said visual display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operation to receive said at least one of current position, direction, pitch and path of said aircraft, further comprises an operation to receive at least one of a vertical velocity or a lateral velocity of said aircraft.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said flight control symbol comprises an aiming symbol.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said flight control symbol comprises at least one of a flight path marker symbol, flight path vector symbol, or velocity vector symbol.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said second symbol comprises a zero pitch reference line symbol.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said second symbol comprises a horizon line symbol.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein said flight information tape comprises at least one of an airspeed tape symbol, altitude tape symbol, airspeed dial symbol, and airspeed digit box symbol.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual display comprises a Heads-Down Display.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual display comprises a Heads-Up Display that is operable to display a visual representation of said flight control symbol and enables an actual viewing of a target.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual display comprises at least one of a Primary Flight Display, aircraft display, spacecraft display, unmanned air vehicle and ground station display, and display adapted for a submarine vehicle.

13. A display system for increasing visibility of flight information, comprising:

means for receiving at least one of a current position, direction, pitch and path of an aircraft;

means for receiving target data and terrain data;

means for generating a first plurality of control signals for a visual display, said first plurality of control signals representing a flight path marker symbol for a visual display;

means for generating a second plurality of control signals for said visual display, said second plurality of control signals representing a zero pitch reference line symbol for said visual display;

means for generating a third plurality of control signals for said visual display, said third plurality of control signals representing a segment in said zero pitch reference line symbol for said visual display, said segment associated with a position of said flight path marker symbol on said visual display; and

means for generating said third plurality of control signals for said visual display so as to adjust a transparency of said segment and enhance a visibility of at least said target data or said terrain data on said visual display.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for generating a fourth plurality of control signals for said visual display so as to adjust a transparency of a portion of said zero pitch reference line symbol, if said portion of said zero pitch reference line coincides with a flight information tape or scale symbol on said visual display.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for generating a fifth plurality of control signals for said visual display so as to adjust a transparency of a heading indicator symbol on said visual display, if said heading indicator symbol is disposed on said visual display within a predetermined distance from an end of said segment on said visual display.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said flight information tape or scale symbol comprises at least one of an airspeed tape symbol, altitude tape symbol, airspeed dial symbol and airspeed digit box symbol.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein said visual display comprises a Heads-Down Display.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein said visual display comprises a Heads-Up Display that is operable to display a visual representation of said zero pitch reference line symbol, and enables an actual viewing of a target.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein said visual display comprises a Primary Flight Display.

20. A method for increasing visibility of flight information on a visual display, comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one of a current position, direction, pitch and path of an aircraft;

receiving target data and terrain data;

generating a first plurality of control signals for the visual display, said first plurality of control signals representing a flight control symbol for said visual display;

generating a second plurality of control signals for said visual display, said second plurality of control signals representing a second symbol for said visual display, said second symbol associated with said pitch of said aircraft;

generating a third plurality of control signals for said visual display, said third plurality of control signals representing a gap in said second symbol for said visual display, said gap associated with a position of said flight control symbol on said visual display; and

adjusting a transparency of said gap so as to enhance a visibility of at least one of said target data and said terrain data on said visual display.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

adjusting a transparency of a portion of said second symbol, if said portion of said second symbol coincides with a flight information tape or scale on said visual display.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

adjusting a transparency of a flight path direction symbol on said visual display, if said flight path direction symbol is disposed on said visual display within a predetermined distance from an end of said gap on said visual display.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the adjusting step comprises a step of increasing said transparency of said gap.

24. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-usable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for configuring a computer processor, the computer program product comprising;

a first executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to receive at least one of current position, direction, pitch and path data for an aircraft;

a second executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to receive target data and terrain data;

a third executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to generate a first plurality of control signals for a visual display, said first plurality of control signals representing a flight control symbol for said visual display;

a fourth executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to generate a second plurality of control signals for said visual display, said second plurality of control signals representing a second symbol for said visual display, said second symbol associated with said pitch data for said aircraft;

a fifth executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to generate a third plurality of control signals for said visual display, said third plurality of control signals representing a gap in said second symbol for said visual display, said gap associated with a position of said flight control symbol on said visual display; and

a sixth executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to adjust a transparency of said gap so as to enhance a visibility of at least one of said target data and said terrain data on said visual display.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising:

a seventh executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to adjust a transparency of a portion of said second symbol, if said portion of said second symbol coincides with a flight information tape or scale symbol on said visual display.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising:

an eighth executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to adjust a transparency of a flight path direction symbol on said visual display, if said flight path direction symbol is disposed on said visual display within a predetermined distance from an end of said gap on said visual display.