TCAS view display format with horizontal trend

• US 5,179,377 A
• Filed: 12/31/1990
• Issued: 01/12/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Hancock, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US07/636,322
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 340/961, 364/461, 364/439, 342/29-32, 342/455, 342/458
• US Class Current: 340/961
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/20 Stereoscopic displays; Three-dimensional displays; Pseudo-three-dimensional displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means

Abstract

A TCAS view image format with horizontal trend for a traffic situation awareness display in a craft, having the craft represented by a center symbol, having traffic represented by position symbols that indicate by shape the horizontal heading of a craft, having the shape of the represented vehicle and varying size to represent level of traffic threat or closeness in altitude differential, having symbols that indicate altitude and trend of altitude, and having symbols that in shape and color redundantly indicate the level of traffic threat.

Claims

1. A traffic information display format system for observing traffic in a volume about an own craft, comprising:

a display having a viewing surface and presenting to an observer a disk symbol and at least one traffic symbol, wherein;

said disk symbol comprises;

a center symbol representing the own craft;

a plurality of rings concentric to the center symbol, representing increments of range from the own craft;

and a plurality of spokes extending outward from the center symbol and intersecting the plurality of rings, representing increments of azimuth about the own craft;

said disk symbol is in a geometric plane representing the altitude of the own craft;

said disk symbol is presented on said display, so as to appear to the observer at a multidimensional perspective viewing angle between zero and ninety degrees;

said traffic symbol representing a traffic entity, is situated in the same perspective viewing angle as said disk symbol, has a shape resembling the traffic entity, the shape indicating the direction of movement of the traffic entity parallel to the plane, has an altitude symbol connected to said traffic symbol for indicating a direction of altitude change of the traffic entity, has a scaled altitude line connected from said traffic symbol to said disk symbol for indicating altitude of the traffic entity relative to the own craft, the line length variable with altitude difference between the traffic entity and own craft, and has a position symbol on said disk symbol at the scaled altitude line for indicating range and azimuth of the traffic entity relative to the own craft;

and said traffic symbol has a triple-redundant coding for indicating a level of a threat warning to the own craft, said traffic symbol having a size that is variable such that the size indicates and is proportional to the level of threat warning, and the position symbol having a shape and a color that change such that the shape of the position symbol indicates the level of the threat warning and the color of the position symbol likewise indicates the level of the threat warning;

and said traffic symbol has an numeric symbol proximate to said traffic symbol for redundant indication of altitude of the traffic entity relative to the own craft.

2. Display format system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for receiving traffic information;

means for processing traffic information, connected to said means for receiving traffic information; and

means for generating said disk symbol and said traffic symbol, connected to said means for processing traffic information and connected to said display.

3. A traffic information display format system for observing traffic in a volume about an own craft, comprising:

a display having a viewing surface and presenting to an observer a disk symbol and at least one traffic symbol, wherein;

said disk symbol comprises;

a center symbol representing the own craft;

a plurality of rings concentric to the center symbol, representing increments of range from the own craft;

said disk symbol is presented on said display, so as to appear to the observer at a multi-dimensional perspective viewing angle between zero and ninety degrees;

said traffic symbol represents a traffic entity;

wherein said traffic symbol is situated in the same perspective viewing angle as said disk symbol, has a shape representing the traffic entity, the shape indicating the direction of movement of the traffic entity parallel to the plane, has an altitude symbol connected to said traffic symbol for indicating a direction of altitude change of the traffic entity, has a scaled altitude line connected from said traffic symbol to said disk symbol for indicating altitude of the traffic entity relative to the own craft, the line length variable with altitude difference between the traffic entity and own craft, and has a position symbol on said disk symbol at the scaled altitude line for indicating range and azimuth of the traffic entity relative to the own craft;

and said traffic symbol has a size that is variable such that the size indicates and is proportional to the level of threat warning, and the position symbol has a shape and a color that change such that the shape of the position symbol indicates the level of the threat warning and the color of the position symbol likewise indicates the level of the threat warning;

and said traffic symbol has an numeric symbol proximate to said traffic symbol for redundant indication of altitude of the traffic entity relative to the own craft.

4. Display format system of claim 3, wherein:

said traffic symbol has a triple-redundant coding for indicating a level of a threat warning to the own craft; and

said disk symbol is in a geometric plane representing altitude of the own craft.