FLIGHT MANAGEMENT DISPLAY

• US 3,668,622 A
• Filed: 05/21/1970
• Issued: 06/06/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bradley K. Gjerding, Gordon D. Annin, James R. Gannett
• Original Assignee: Bradley K. Gjerding, Gordon D. Annin, James R. Gannett
• Inventors: Annin, Gordon D., Gjerding, Bradley K., Gannett, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blakeslee, Ralph D.
• Application Number:
  US05/039,370
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 340/27R,27SS,27AT,27NA 178/DIG.20
• US Class Current: 340/953
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence

Abstract

Pilot-oriented information is displayed on the screen of a cathode ray tube by electronically generated symbols superimposed on a simulated or real-world picture. The symbology uses as one datum a fixed airplane symbol and locates therefrom the airplane'"'"''"'"'s degree of pitch, degree of roll, and the horizon. In addition, symbols are provided to indicate the relative position of the airplane with respect to ILS localizer and glide slope signals, pitch and roll commands obtained from an on-board flight director computer, a desired pitch reference, and actual as well as potential flight path angle. Deviation from a preset airspeed and radio or radar altitude are also shown. In all cases, the symbols are constructed by symbol generators from one or more basis rectangles, whose width is determined by a pulse of appropriate length during the CRT'"'"''"'"'s horizontal scanning period, and whose height is determined by a similar pulse during the vertical scanning period. The location of each rectangle is determined by the delay between the start of the vertical or horizontal scanning period, and the start of the vertical or horizontal pulse. Modifications are described for generating rotating symbols. The outputs of the symbol generators are combined as a priority circuit and converted into a composite video signal by a video mixer.

Claims

1. A system for providing an integratEd display of flight information obtained from a plurality of sensors and controls which are disposed on an aircraft and which supply information signals representative of a plurality of flight parameters, comprising:

a. means providing synchronizing pulses;

b. a plurality of symbol generators having as inputs thereto said synchronizing pulses, one of said symbol generators converting said synchronizing pulses into an output pulse whose timing and duration is related thereto and which defines the location and size of a reference symbol with which the remaining symbols are to be visually compared, the remaining of said symbol generators additionally having as an input thereto at least one of the information signals from said plurality of sensors and controls and accordingly converting said synchronizing pulses and said information signal into an output pulse whose timing and duration is related to said synchronizing pulses and which defines the location and size of a symbol corresponding to a flight parameter;

c. a priority means including means combining said plurality of output pulses into various groups corresponding to desired symbol shading, and further including gating means coupling one of said combined pulses to its output in accordance with a schedule determining priority of symbol display; and

d. a mixing means converting the output pulse from said priority circuit into a voltage whose magnitude is proportional to the desired symbol shading, and including means amplitude modulating said synchronizing pulses in response to said voltage to produce a composite video signal suitable for reproduction on a conventional television receiver.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a. mode control means producing a plurality of control signals which are representative of symbols to be actually displayed, and b. a second gating means which is connected between said combining means of said priority means and the output pulses from said plurality of symbol generators, said second gating means having also connected thereto said plurality of control signals from said mode control means and operative to pass those of said output pulses which correspond to the symbols to be displayed.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a. means producing a real world signal representing an image of an area adjacent the aircraft, and b. means within said mixing means for combining said real world signal with said voltage to produce said composite video signal.

4. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein:

a. said synchronizing pulses include vertical drive pulses and horizontal drive pulses defining, respectively, the relative timing and duration of desired vertical and horizontal scanning intervals of a standard television picture frame, b. each of said symbols comprises one or more rectangular units defined by one of said output pulses, and c. each of said symbol generators comprises means producing a horizontal size-defining pulse whose duration defines the horizontal extent, when reproduced, of the rectangular units comprising each symbol and whose timing relative to that of said horizontal drive pulse determines the horizontal location thereof, means producing a vertical size-defining pulse whose duration defines the vertical extent, when reproduced, of the rectangular units comprising each symbol and whose timing relative to that of said vertical drive pulse determines the vertical location thereof, and means combining said vertical and said horizontal size-defining pulses to produce said output pulse from said symbol generator.

5. A system as recited in claim 4 wherein the reference symbol generated by the first-mentioned symbol generator comprises an aircraft replica, and wherein said first-mentioned symbol generator further comprises:

a. a digital counter clocked by said horizontal drive pulses and reset by said vertical drive pulses, said counter producing a series of pulses whose timing relatiVe to said vertical drive pulse defines the vertical dimensions of said replica, b. means producing from said horizontal drive pulses a plurality of pulses which are successively delayed therefrom to define the horizontal dimensions of said replica, and c. means combining the pulses from said digital counter and from said delaying means to produce said output pulse from said first-mentioned symbol generator.

6. A system as recited in claim 4 wherein one of said flight parameter symbols comprises a rectangle denoting permissible limits of the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s flight path with respect to ILS localizer deviation and glide slope deviation signals obtained from an ILS receiver, and wherein one of said symbol generators comprises:

a. a first means connected to said horizontal drive pulse and the localizer deviation signal and producing therefrom a pulse whose timing relative to said horizontal drive pulse is varied in proportion to said localizer deviation signal, b. a second means connected to said vertical drive pulse and to the glide slope deviation signal and producing therefrom a pulse whose timing relative to said vertical drive pulse is varied in proportion to said glide slope deviation signal, c. means having the pulse from said first means connected thereto and producing therefrom a plurality of pulses which are successively delayed therefrom so as to define the horizontal dimensions of the rectangle, d. means having connected thereto the pulse from said second means and producing therefrom a plurality of pulses which are successively delayed therefrom to define the vertical dimensions of the rectangle, and e. gating means combining the plurality of successively delayed pulses to form said output pulse from said symbol generator.

7. A system as recited in claim 4 wherein one of said flight parameter symbols comprises first and second rectangles denoting, respectively, the outputs of a flight director computer which provides pitch and roll command signals, and wherein one of said symbol generators comprises:

a. first means connected to said vertical drive pulse and to the pitch command signal for producing a pulse whose timing relative to said vertical drive pulse is varied in proportion to said pitch command signal, b. second means connected to said horizontal drive pulse and to the roll command signal for producing therefrom a pulse whose timing relative to said horizontal drive pulse is varied in proportion to said roll command signal, c. means producing from said horizontal drive signal first and second pulses which are successively delayed therefrom, d. means producing from said vertical drive pulse third and fourth pulses which are successively delayed therefrom, and e. gating means combining said first, second, third and fourth pulses and said plurality of pulses from said first and second means to produce said output pulse from said symbol generator.

8. A system as recited in claim 4 wherein one of said flight parameter symbols comprises first and second rectangles, the first rectangle remaining fixed with relation to said reference symbol and the other rectangle varying in size and position in accordance with the information content of a speed error signal and wherein one of said symbol generators comprises:

a. means connected to said vertical drive pulse for producing a first pulse whose timing and duration relative thereto determines the vertical extent of the first rectangle, b. means connected to said vertical drive pulse and to the speed error signal and producing therefrom a pulse whose timing and duration relative to said vertical drive pulse is varied in proportion to said speed error signal to determine the vertical extent of the second rectangle, c. storage means having said first and second pulses connected thereto and producing a pulse therefrom as long as one of said input pulses is being produced, and d. means having said horizontal drive pulse connected thereto And producing therefrom a pulse which is delayed to define the horizontal dimensions of the first and second rectangles, and means combining this pulse with the output of said storage means to form said output pulse from said symbol generator.

9. A system as recited in claim 4 wherein one of said flight parameter symbols comprises a plurality of rectangles whose selective display represents the information signal from an altitude sensor, wherein one of said symbol generators comprises:

a. a converter means producing from the output signal a corresponding digital signal embodying the altitude information, b. a digital counter which is clocked by said horizontal drive pulses and reset by said vertical drive pulse, said counter producing a series of pulses whose timing relative to said vertical drive pulse defines the vertical dimensions, when reproduced, of the rectangles, c. means providing from each of said horizontal drive pulses a plurality of pulses which are successively delayed therefrom to define the horizontal dimensions of the rectangles, and d. gating means selectively combining said pulses from said delay means and said digital counter in accordance with the altitude information content of said digital signal to thereby produce said output pulse from said symbol generator.

10. A system as recited in claim 9, further comprising means coupled to said horizontal drive pulses and to said vertical drive pulse and producing therefrom a pulse whose timing relative to each of said horizontal drive pulses is varied in proportion to said vertical drive pulse, said pulse being coupled to said delaying means in place of said horizontal drive signal so that the vertical dimensions of the rectangles slant, when reproduced.

11. A system as recited in claim 9 wherein the flight parameter symbol further includes a background rectangle when displayed, and wherein said symbol generator further comprises:

a. first means delaying said horizontal drive pulse to produce a pulse defining the horizontal dimensions of said rectangle, b. second means delaying said vertical drive pulse to produce a pulse defining the vertical dimensions of said rectangle, c. means providing an output signal when the information content of the altitude signal is less than a predetermined, minimum value, d. flasher means actuated in response to said output signal from said comparing means to provide a series of pulses occurring at a regular rate, and e. means combining the pulses from said first and second means and from said flasher means to produce said output pulse from said symbol generator.

12. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein one of the sensors provides an information signal proportional to roll attitude of the aircraft, and wherein said plurality of remaining symbol generators are divided into two groups, those of said first group providing output pulses defining symbols which rotate with changes in the roll attitude, and those of said second group providing output pulses defining symbols which do not so rotate.

13. A system as recited in claim 12 wherein:

a. said plurality of synchronizing pulses include a plurality of vertical drive pulses and horizontal drive pulses defining, respectively, the relative timing and duration of the desired vertical and horizontal scanning intervals of a standard television picture frame, b. each of said symbols comprises one or more rectangular units defined by one of said output pulses, c. means producing first and second signals, respectively, proportional to the cosine and sine of the roll attitude signal, d. a composite sawtooth waveform signal generator including i. means producing a sawtooth waveform every horizontal drive pulse whose amplitude is controlled by said first signal, ii. means producing a sawtooth waveform every vertical drive pulse whose amplitude is controlled by said second signal, iii. means combining said first and second sawtooth waveforms to prodUce a horizontal composite waveform signal, iv. means producing a sawtooth waveform every horizontal drive pulse whose amplitude is controlled by said second signal, v. means producing a sawtooth waveform every vertical drive pulse whose amplitude is controlled by said first signal, and vi. means combining said third and fourth sawtooth waveforms to produce a vertical composite waveform signal, e. each of said symbol generators in said first group comprises means producing a horizontal size-defining pulse whose duration defines the horizontal extent, when reproduced, of the rectangular units comprising each symbol and whose timing relative to that of said horizontal composite waveform signal determines the horizontal location thereof, means producing a vertical size-defining pulse whose duration defines the vertical extent, when reproduced, of the rectangular units comprising each symbol and whose timing relative to that of said vertical composite waveform signal determines the vertical location thereof, and means combining said vertical and said horizontal size-defining pulses to produce said output pulse from said generator.

14. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein one of said flight parameter symbols comprises a rectangle denoting roll attitude and wherein one of said symbol generators in said first group comprises:

a. first means producing said vertical size-defining pulse throughout a predetermined range of values of said vertical composite waveform signal, and b. second means producing said horizontal size-defining pulse throughout a predetermined range of values of said horizontal composite waveform signal.

15. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein:

a. one of the sensors provides a signal proportional to pitch attitude of the aircraft, b. said plurality of symbol generators in said first group provide output pulses defining symbols which are vertically shifted, when reproduced, with changes in pitch attitude, and c. said composite sawtooth waveform generator further comprises means level-shifting said vertical composite waveform signal in response to the pitch attitude signal.

16. A system as recited in claim 15 wherein one of said flight parameter symbols comprises a plurality of horizontally extending lines which are vertically spaced in increments of pitch attitude and wherein one of said symbol generators comprises:

a first means producing a plurality of horizontal size-defining pulses during corresponding, predetermined ranges of said horizontal composite waveform signal, and b. second means producing a plurality of vertical size-defining pulses during corresponding, predetermined ranges of said level-shifted, vertical composite waveform signal.

17. A system as recited in claim 15 wherein one of said flight parameter symbols comprises a rectangle whose vertical displacement from said reference symbol, when reproduced, indicates the relative flight path angle of the aircraft, wherein a corresponding signal is provided from a flight path angle sensor, and a modification signal from a drift angle sensor, and wherein one of said symbol generators comprises:

a. first means summing said level-shifted, vertical composite waveform signal with the output of the flight path angle sensor, b. second means summing said horizontal composite waveform signal with the output of the drift angle sensor, c. first means producing said vertical size-defining pulse throughout a predetermined range of values of the output signal from said first summing means, and d. second means producing said horizontal size-defining pulse throughout a predetermined range of values of the output from said second summing means.

18. A system as recited in claim 17 wherein another of said flight parameter symbols comprises a rectangle whose vertical displacement from said reference symbol, when reproduced, indicates the potential flight path angle of the aircraft, wherein a sensor is provided which furnishes an output Signal representative of aircraft acceleration, and wherein said symbol generator further comprises:

a. means producing a reference signal, b. third means summing said reference signal, the output of the acceleration sensor, and the output of said first summing means, means producing said vertical size-defining pulse for the potential flight path angle symbol throughout a predetermined range of values of the output from said third summing means, and d. means producing said horizontal size-defining pulse for the potential flight path angle symbol throughout a predetermined range of values of the output from said second summing means.

19. An apparatus for providing relevant flight information to a pilot during landing maneuvers of an aircraft, comprising:

a. means scanning the area preceding the aircraft and providing a corresponding output signal, b. means sensing acceleration of the aircraft along its flight path and providing an output signal proportional thereto, c. means sensing the angle of the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s flight path relative to the horizon and providing an output signal proportional thereto, d. means sensing the pitch attitude of the aircraft relative to the horizon and providing an output signal proportional thereto, e. means providing an output signal from said pitch attitude output signal which defines the relative position of the horizon, f. means summing the output signals from said acceleration sensing means and said flight path angle sensing means to provide an output signal which defines the relative position of the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s potential flight path angle, g. a display means, and h. means coupling the output signal from said scanning means, the output signal from said flight path angle sensing means, and the output signal from said summing means to said display means so that indication is made thereby of the relative position of the horizon, the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s flight path angle, and the aircraft'"'"''"'"'s potential flight path angle, said indications being displayed in a 1;

1 relationship with a reproduction of the area preceding the aircraft.