Pilot-Configurable Information on a Display Unit

• US 20170039908A1
• Filed: 10/18/2016
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Che, Tan Nhat, Ametsitsi, Julian, Bell, Charles Frederick, Shafaat, Syed Tahir
• Granted Patent: US 10,934,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G01D 2207/10 Displays which are primarily used in aircraft or display aircraft-specific information
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/007 Indication of measured value by tactile means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT

Abstract

A small thin display unit that can be installed in the flight deck for displaying only flight crew-selected tactical information needed for the task at hand. The flight crew can select the tactical information to be displayed by means of any conventional user interface. Whenever the flight crew selects tactical information for display, the user interface sends a corresponding request for tactical information to a computer system. The computer system processes the request, including periodically retrieving measured current values or computing current values for the requested tactical parameters and returning those current tactical parameter values to the display unit for display.

Claims

1. A flight deck display system comprising:

a control panel of a flight deck;

first and second display units installed in said control panel with a space therebetween; and

a third display unit installed in said space between said first and second display units, said third display unit comprising;

a housing in the shape of a cuboid having external faces;

a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium for storing data,

an image processor housed in said housing, said image processor being programmed to generate image data which is a function of said stored data;

a liquid crystal display screen affixed to one external face of said housing and operatively coupled to said image processor for displaying an image that is a function of electronic image data generated by said image processor; and

a light-reflecting viewing surface disposed external to and pivotably coupled to said housing,

wherein said housing of said third display unit is configured such that said housing does not block any information being displayed on said first and second display units, and said viewing surface is arranged at an angular position such that an image projected by said liquid crystal display screen is reflected from said viewing surface toward a vantage point of a pilot on the flight deck.

2. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal display screen is fixed relative to said housing and the angular position of said viewing surface relative to said liquid crystal display screen is adjustable.

3. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 1, wherein said viewing surface comprises a mirror or glass.

4. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 1, wherein said housing is mounted on said control panel with said one external face projecting generally perpendicular to said control panel.

5. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 1, wherein said housing has a height in a range of one to two inches and a width in a range of four to ten inches.

6. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a computer system including memory for storing aircraft flight information, and a control unit operable by a pilot for sending a request for tactical information to said computer system, wherein said computer system is programmed to retrieve aircraft flight information from memory, calculate the requested tactical information based on said retrieved aircraft flight information, and then forward the calculated tactical information to said third display unit for display.

7. A flight deck display system comprising:

a control panel of a flight deck;

a large display unit installed in said control panel;

a thin display unit installed in a space adjacent to said large display unit;

a computer system configured to send tactical information to said thin display unit in response to a request for tactical information from a pilot; and

a control unit operable by a pilot for sending a request for tactical information to said computer system,

wherein said thin display unit comprises;

a housing in the shape of a cuboid having external faces;

an image processor housed in said housing, said image processor being programmed to generate image data which is a function of tactical information;

a liquid crystal display screen affixed to one external face of said housing and operatively coupled to said image processor for displaying an image that is a function of electronic image data generated by said image processor; and

a light-reflecting viewing surface disposed external to and pivotably coupled to said housing, wherein said viewing surface is arranged at an angular position such that an image projected by said liquid crystal display screen is reflected from said viewing surface toward a vantage point of a pilot on the flight deck.

8. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 7, wherein said computer system is programmed to calculate the requested tactical information based on aircraft flight information.

9. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 7, wherein said computer system is programmed to:

(a) compute the current value of a tactical parameter; and

(b) send the current value of said tactical parameter to said display unit in response to said request for tactical information.

10. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 9, wherein said computer system is programmed to repeat steps (a) and (b) periodically to provide respective updated current values of said tactical parameter to said display unit for display at respective subsequent times.

11. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 10, wherein said tactical parameter is distance or time to a waypoint or location of another aircraft.

12. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 10, wherein said tactical parameter is speed or heading of the aircraft.

13. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 7, wherein said liquid crystal display screen is fixed relative to said housing and the angular position of said viewing surface relative to said liquid crystal display screen is adjustable.

14. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 7, wherein said viewing surface comprises a mirror or glass.

15. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 7, wherein said housing is mounted on said control panel with said one external face projecting generally perpendicular to said control panel.

16. The flight deck display system as recited in claim 7, wherein said housing has a height in a range of one to two inches and a width in a range of four to ten inches.

17. A method comprising mounting a display unit to an existing cockpit display on an aircraft, the display unit having an imaging surface disposed generally horizontally and a viewing surface disposed at an acute angle relative to the imaging surface to enable an image displayed on the imaging surface and reflected by the viewing surface to be viewable in a primary field of view of a pilot.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

(a) operatively coupling the display unit to a computer system;

(b) operating a control unit to select a tactical parameter for display;

(c) sending a request for the selected tactical parameter from the control unit to the computer system;

(d) computing a current value of the selected tactical parameter;

(e) sending the current value of the selected tactical parameter from the computer system to the display unit;

(f) displaying a reverse image of the current value of the selected tactical parameter on the imaging surface of the display unit; and

(g) repeating steps (d) through (f) periodically to provide a respective updated current value of the selected tactical parameter to the display unit for display at respective subsequent times.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said selected tactical parameter is distance or time to a waypoint or location of another aircraft.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said selected tactical parameter is speed or heading of the aircraft.