Head-up display

• US 4,977,401 A
• Filed: 09/07/1989
• Issued: 12/11/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saab-Scania Aktiebolag (Saab AB)
• Original Assignee: Saab-Scania Aktiebolag (Saab AB)
• Inventors: Sjoberg, Bengt E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orsino, Joseph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US07/403,285
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 340/980, 340/975, 340/974, 340/705, 73/178 R, 244/181, 364/434, 350/174
• US Class Current: 340/975
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

A head-up display for indicating the attitude and flight-path angle vertically, the attitude in roll and preferably the heading attitude and heading track angle of a vehicle, preferably an air vehicle, which in addition to the inertial navigation (5) for determining said attitudes and angles comprises a transparent but partly reflecting plate (10), a so-called "combiner glass" glass for projecting a corresponding display together with at least one symbol (14) of the x-axis of the vehicle. Particularly characteristic is that the head-up-display is arranged to show the display (12) as at least a portion of the inside of a space-stable sphere with its center in said vehicle, the display being provided with latitude circles (15, 16, 19, 20) and preferably meridian markings (18).

Claims

1. A head-up-display for indicating the attitude and flight-path angle vertically, the attitude in roll and the heading attitude of an air vehicle, the vehicle having means (5,6) for determining said attitudes and flight-path angle and for emitting corresponding first signals, the head-up-display comprising a screen (10) and means (7,8) for translating said signals to a corresponding display, which is projected together with at least one symbol (13) of a velocity vector of the vehicle, and a symbol (14) of the x-axis of the vehicle, on the screen, said screen comprising a transparent but reflecting plate for the indicator display and said symbols, characterized in that the head-up-display is arranged to present the display (12) as a depiction of at least a portion of the inside of a space-stable sphere with its center in said vehicle, the display depicting at least portions of latitude circles, (15, 16, 19, 20), the nadir of the circles increasing the further away a circle is from the zenith or nadir of the sphere, and meridian markings (18) adjacent said circles.

2. A head-up-display according to claim 1, characterized in that the latitude circles (15, 16) for the indication of attitude and flight-path angle vertically from 0°

to -90°

for dive, are marked to differ from the latitude circles (19,

     20) for the indication of the attitude and flight-path angle vertically from 0°

to +90°

for climb, and including a horizontal line (23) distinguishably marked.

3. A head-up display according to claim 1 characterized in that the zenith (22) of said sphere corresponding to the attitude vertically +90°

, and nadir (17) of said sphere corresponding to the attitude vertically -90°

are marked with characteristic symbols easily distinguishable from each other, and each including north-south and east-west indications.

4. A head-up-display according to claim 3, characterized in that the head-up-display is arranged to show the display (12) so that an observer, particularly an aircraft pilot, will see said display essentially integrated with, and in the same picture plane as the surroundings visible through said plate and the front screen of the vehicle, on the angular scale 1:

1.

5. A head-up-display according to claim 4, characterized in that said symbol (13) of the aircraft velocity vector and the symbol (14) of the x-axis of the aircraft are shown by the head-up-display in said picture plane.