AIRCRAFT DISPLAYS AND DISPLAY ARRANGEMENTS

• US 20100090868A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems Limited (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems Limited (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: HALL, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,175,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/971
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• 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 aircraft cockpit display arrangement having a primary instrument display region for positioning in front of at least one pilot. The primary instrument display region has a wide screen format panel display and duplicated redundant display drive electronics configured to present both primary flight information and navigational display information on the same screen.

Claims

1. An aircraft cockpit display arrangement, comprising:

a primary instrument display region for positioning in front of at least one pilot, the primary instrument display region comprising a wide screen format panel display and duplicated redundant display drive electronics configured to present both primary fight information and navigational display information on the same screen.

2. The aircraft cockpit display arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a source selection unit operable to drive the wide screen format panel display from one of a plurality of active channels (A, B) whilst the other active channels are in a stand-by mode.

3. The aircraft cockpit display arrangement of claim 2, wherein the source selection unit is further operable to automatically detect display faults and switch a selected active channel to one of the active channels previously in stand-by mode.

4. The aircraft cockpit display arrangement of claim 1, further configured to couple to a weather radar and further operable to display weather information derived from the weather radar in a navigational display area of the wide screen.

5. The aircraft cockpit display arrangement of claim 1, further comprising two separate single wide screen format panel displays configured to position in front of a respective pilot.

6. An aircraft cockpit display instrument unit, comprising:

a housing containing duplicated display driver electronics; and

a display screen panel mounted on one face of the housing, the screen having a wide screen format arranged to be oriented horizontally and the display driver electronics being arranged to present primary flight information in one region of the screen and navigational information in another region of the screen.

7. A method of retrofitting a flat panel display screen in an aircraft, the method comprising:

removing an existing panel with attached instrumentation,

disconnecting wiring extending to the instrumentation by uncoupling connectors on the wiring from connectors on the instruments,

replacing the existing panel with a new panel arranged to support a wide screen panel display unit, and

reconnecting some at least of the connectors on the wiring to mating connectors associated with the flat panel display unit.