A NUMERIC COLLIMATED DISPLAY INCLUDING MEANS FOR PROJECTING ELEVATION, ATTITUDE AND SPEED INFORMATION

• US 3,574,283 A
• Filed: 12/27/1967
• Issued: 04/13/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1967
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William R. Albers
• Original Assignee: William R. Albers
• Inventors: Albers, William R.
• Application Number:
  US04/693,779
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• US Class Current: 73/178.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence

Abstract

A simulated visual reference collimated heads-up display system for aircraft pilots arranged in the pilot'"'"''"'"'s normal line of sight through the windshield and utilizing the established basic theories and principals of flight enabling a pilot, even an inexperienced pilot, to fly safely and with precision, maintaining good air speed and attitude control in clear visual reference flying weather or in instrument or marginal weather conditions. The system employs reticle plate images projected on a screen disposed in the pilot'"'"''"'"'s normal line of vision and comprising a horizon line image slaved to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s gyro horizon instrument; an attitude circle image fixedly related to the vertical centerline of the screen for selective positioning along the vertical centerline of the screen to depict the optimum nose attitude of the aircraft to be maintained for a selected mode of flight; a small airplane image fixedly related to the display screen and to the aircraft to depict the instantaneous pitch and bank attitudes and heading of the aircraft during all phases of flight including the takeoff and landing runs of the aircraft so the pilot can center the small airplane image in the attitude circle to establish the optimum nose attitude of the aircraft during any selected mode of flight; air speed and vertical speed line images pivoted to swing up and down about the ends of the wings of the small airplane image and slaved to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s air speed and vertical speed instruments to indicate deviations from the optimum air speed and rate-of-climb or descent to be maintained at a selected mode of flight depicted by lateral alignment of the swinging line images to the respective wing portions of the small airplane image; an altitude display slaved to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s altimeter in a manner to move up or down over the screen when a deviation of selected magnitude in either direction from a preselected altitude to be maintained in a selected mode of flight occurs, and also arranged to indicate arrival at a planned or assigned altitude when climbing or on descent this indication being given by the altitude display moving up or down over the display screen, and also arranged to indicate arrival at the prescribed ILS minimum altitude when making an ILS (Instrument Landing System) approach to a landing; a yaw display slaved to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s yaw rate gyro system in a manner to move in from the right or in from the left over the screen when yawing of the aircraft occurs; a direction line image vertically related to the screen and selectively slaved to a compass and a compass bug settable to a desired heading by the pilot or to the Omnisignal or Localizer signal of the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s Omnireceiver or Localizer receiver so the pilot can steer the small airplane image to laterally center it on the direction line image to maintain the selected heading; and an ILS circle image slaved to follow the indications of the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s standard cross-pointer indicator instrument arranged to replace the attitude circle image when the pilot wants to make an ILS instrument landing approach and hAve the simulated visual reference flying display for guidance in maintaining optimum instrument flight using the same reference images and procedures.

Claims

1. Apparatus for producing a simulated visual reference flying display and displaying it for use by aircraft piLots comprising a display screen fixedly mounted in the pilot'"'"''"'"'s normal line of vision through the windshield;

a collimated image forming and projection means fixedly mounted in the aircraft and focused to project multiple graphic images in correlated relation on the screen to visually depict to the pilot essential flight information to enable him to maintain optimum modes of flight at all times comprising;

a. means fixedly related to the aircraft fuselage and forming a projected line airplane image on said screen composed of oppositely laterally aligned wing lines extending from a common centered arcuate fuselage line defining a center nose point;

b. means arranged to form a projected air speed line image on said screen in position for pivotal movement around one wing end of said line airplane image;

c. means arranged to form a projected vertical speed line image on said screen in position for pivotal movement around the other wing end of said line airplane image;

d. means arranged to form a projected horizon line image on said screen in position for relative centered vertical planar and rotational movement on said screen with respect to said line airplane image and said air speed and vertical speed line images;

e. means arranged to form a projected attitude circle line image on said screen in position for relative centered planar movement along the full length of the vertical centerline of said screen relative to said line airplane image and said air speed and vertical speed line images and for independent limited relative planar movement along the vertical centerline of said screen relative to the horizon line image; and

f. means to respectively electrically slave items (b), (c), (d), and (e) to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s conventional;

1. air speed instrument through first control circuitry including a flight mode selector switch selectively settable to apply a biasing voltage of predetermined value to said first control circuitry to cause said air speed line image to assume a position laterally aligned with said one wing of said line airplane image only when a predetermined optimum speed for the selected mode of flight is attained;

2. vertical speed instrument through second control circuitry including said flight mode selector switch selectively settable to apply a biasing voltage of predetermined value to said second control circuitry to cause said vertical speed line image to assume a position laterally aligned with said other wing of said line airplane image only when a predetermined optimum speed for the selected mode of flight is attained. 3. gyro horizon instrument through control circuitry including a first transmitter variably energized in response to the instrument indication of pitch attitude to impose a signal on a receiver effective to shift the horizon line image up and down over the screen in correlation to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s pitch attitude and a second transmitter variably energized in response to the instrument indications of bank attitude to impose a signal on a receiver effective to rotate the horizon line image around its center point over the screen in correlation to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s pitch attitude to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s bank attitude; and

4. through a first control circuit including said first transmitter and a receiver drive connected to slave said attitude circle line image to move up and down over the screen in correlated relation to the comparable movements of the horizon line image and through a second control circuit including said flight mode selector switch selectively settable to impose a biasing voltage of predetermined value therein to also cause said attitude circle image to assume a relative correlated position above or below the horizon line image corresponding to the optimum nose pitch attitude of the aircraft to the actual horizon for the selected selected mode of flight so the pilot through the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s controls can control his flight by reference flying of the line airPlane image to bring its nose point to the center of the attitude circle while maintaining (1) his air speed and vertical speed near optimum by noting and compensating for upward and downward swinging movements of the air speed line image and the vertical speed line image from lateral alignment and (2) near optimum flight by noting and compensating for nonparallelism of said line airplane image with respect to the horizon line image.

2. the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s conventional vertical speed instrument through second control circuitry including said flight mode selector switch selectively settable to apply a biasing voltage of predetermined value to said second control circuitry to cause said vertical speed line image to assume a position laterally aligned with said other wing of said line airplane image only when a predetermined optimum speed for the selected mode of flight is attained;

3. gyro horizon instrument through control circuitry including a first transmitter variably energized in response to the instrument indication of pitch attitude to impose a signal on a receiver effective to shift the horizon line image up and down over the screen in correlation to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s pitch attitude and a second transmitter variably energized in response to the instrument indications of bank attitude to impose a signal on a receiver effective to rotate the horizon line image around its center point over the screen in correlation to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s pitch attitude to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s bank attitude;

and

4. said flight mode selector switch through a first control circuit including said first transmitter and a receiver drive connected to slave said attitude circle line image to move up and down over the screen in correlated relation to the comparable movements of the horizon line image and through a second control circuit including said flight mode selector switch selectively settable to impose a biasing voltage of predetermined value therein to also cause said attitude circle image to assume a relative correlated position above or below the horizon line image corresponding to the optimum nose pitch attitude of the aircraft to the actual horizon for the selected mode of flight so the pilot through the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s controls can control his flight by reference flying of the line airplane image to bring its nose point to the center of the attitude circle while maintaining (1) his air speed and vertical speed near optimum by noting and compensating for upward and downward swinging movements of the air speed line image and the vertical speed line image from lateral alignment and (2) near optimum flight by noting and compensating for nonparallelism of said line airplane image with respect to the horizon line image;

5. Apparatus for producing a simulated visual reference flying display fixedly mounted in position for viewing by the pilot comprising image forming means fixedly mounted in the aircraft to provide multiple graphic images in correlated relation to visually depict to the pilot essential flight information to enable him to maintain optimum flight at all times, said image forming means including:

a. means fixedly related to the aircraft fuselage and forming a line airplane image composed of oppositely laterally aligned wing lines extending from a common centered arcuate fuselage line defining a center nose point;

b. means arranged to form an air speed line image in position for pivotal movement around one wing end of said line airplane image;

c. means arranged to form a vertical speed line image in position for pivotal movement around the other wing end of said line airplane image;

d. means arranged to form an horizon line image in position for relative centered vertical planar and rotational movement with respect to said line airplane image and said air speed and vertical speed line images;

e. means arranged to form an attitude circle line image in position for relative centered planar movement alonG the full length of the vertical centerline of said display relative to said line airplane image and said air speed and vertical speed line images and for independent limited relative planar movement along the vertical centerline of said display relative to the horizon line image;

f. means arranged to form an altitude display image in position for planar movement inwardly from the top and the bottom of the display as the upper and lower altitude limits are respectively exceeded;

g. means arranged to form an ILS circle line image for relative planar movement laterally and from top to bottom of the display in response to the ILS signals;

h. means arranged to form a direction line image for planar movement laterally across the display;

i. means to respectively electrically slave items (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h) to;

6. the output of the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s ILS receivers through a control circuit including said flight mode selector switch to cause the ILS circle line image to follow the ILS signals;

and

7. the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s conventional directional navigational equipment through a control circuit including a multipole sector switch and a suitable variable biasing control to cause the direction line image to assume a position laterally in the display in correlation to the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s heading.