Apparatus and Method to Indicate Course Deviation Instrument Saturation

• US 20100036607A1
• Filed: 07/21/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aspen Avionics, Inc. (The AIRO Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aspen Avionics, Inc. (The AIRO Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lyons, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• 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

An apparatus and method to maintain traditional navigational deviation presentation in a manner that is consistent with existing training and safety methodology, but eliminates confusion generated when a navigation needle is placed in a fully pegged position by positively indicating that a needle is off-scale and not representing an actual accurate deviation.

Claims

1. An electronics display instrument configured to display aircraft course deviation, the instrument comprising:

a first input to receive navigation information;

a second input to receive position information;

a controller to compare the navigation information and position information to yield a signal; and

an output to convey the signal by displaying a conditional symbol on a scale,

wherein the conditional symbol has a first form and a second form to indicate whether the symbol is accurate.

2. The instrument according to claim 1, wherein the conditional symbol corresponds to a conventional readout having a limited measurement scale.

3. The instrument according to claim 1, wherein the conditional symbol is moveable from a first extreme to a second extreme with a central position therebetween.

4. The instrument according to claim 3, wherein if the conditional symbol is between the first extreme and the second extreme, then the conditional symbol is in the first form.

5. The instrument according to claim 3, wherein if the conditional symbol is not between the first extreme and the second extreme, then the conditional symbol is in the second form.

6. The instrument according to claim 1, wherein the first form indicates that the conditional symbol is accurate and the second form indicates that the conditional symbol is not accurate.

7. The instrument according to claim 1, wherein the conditional symbol is a bar and the first form is the bar in a solid form and the second form is the bar in an outlined form.

8. The instrument according to claim 1, wherein the position information is displayed in real time.

9. A method of conveying a condition using an electronics display instrument, the method comprising:

receiving navigation information via a first input;

receiving position information via a second input;

comparing the navigation information and position information via a controller to yield a measurable condition;

displaying the condition with a symbol on a scale, the scale having a limited range; and

varying a symbol appearance depending on whether the condition is measurable by the scale having the limited range.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

displaying the symbol appearance in one of a first form if the condition is measurable by the scale and a second form if the condition is not measurable by the scale.