Process for the visual display of the attitude of an aircraft for aiding piloting in space

• US 5,212,480 A
• Filed: 11/05/1990
• Issued: 05/18/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aerospatiale Societe Nationale Industrielle
• Original Assignee: Aerospatiale Societe Nationale Industrielle
• Inventors: Ferro, Vincent D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US07/609,371
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 340/967, 340/971, 340/973-975, 340/979, 340/980, 33/328, 33/330, 364/434, 73/178 R
• US Class Current: 340/974
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/08 for teaching control of aircraft, e.g. Link trainer
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/46 the aircraft being a helicopter

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for the visual display of the attitude of an aircraft to assist piloting or flying in space. On the basis of the values of cardan or gimbal angles (ψ, θ, φ) of the aircraft marked in a reference mark linked with the celestial cavity or firmament and on the basis of a calculation of quaternions, the process consists of displaying on a screen (1) on board the aircraft, in particular the following informations: a cruciform reticule (7,8,9), a piloting or flying circle B, the value of the roll angle (φ) in a scale (10), a net formed by portions of meridians (M) and parallels (P) of the celestial cavity, a symbol (V1) representing the direction pointed by the velocity vector of the aircraft, a short term prediction vector (12) for the aircraft attitude, as well as numerical values (19,21,23) for the roll, pitch and yaw velocities. Application is to the piloting of an aircraft in space.

Claims

1. Process for the display of the attitude of an aircraft or spacecraft for aiding piloting or flying in space, which comprises the steps of:

defining a spherical celestial canopy (C) centered on the center of gravity (G) of the aircraft (A), having a polar axis oriented towards the celestial north (N) and an equatorial plane (E) perpendicular to said polar axis and passing through a vernal reference marking point (γ

     50);

defining reference marking parallels (M,P) and meridians on said celestial canopy;

defining a reference mark (G,X,Y,Z) with orthogonal axes centered on the center of gravity (G) of the aircraft, a first axis (X) of said mark passing through the vernal point (γ

     50), a second axis (2) coinciding with the polar axis and a third axis (Y) being perpendicular to the first and second axes;

defining a specific reference mark (G, X_A, Y_A, Z_A) of the aircraft with three orthogonal axes, having for its origin the center of gravity (G) of the aircraft, a first axis (X_A) directed along a longitudinal axis of the aircraft, a second axis (Z_A) located in a plane of symmetry passing through the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and a third axis (Y_A) perpendicular to the first and second axes of the specific reference mark;

defining the attitude of the aircraft by calculating the cardan angles, (roll (φ

), pitch (θ

) and yaw (ψ

) ) of the aircraft with respect to the reference mark (G,X,Y,Z);

using the values of the cardan angles (φ

, θ

, ψ

) for displaying, on a screen (1) of display means (2), the image obtained in a plane perpendicular to the first specific axis (X_A) of a net formed from portions of meridians and parallels (M,P) of the celestial canopy projected onto said plane within a piloting or flying circle (B), displayed on a screen (1) and centered on the first axis (X_A) of the specific reference mark;

displaying a cruciform reticule (7,8,9) with two perpendicular segments (7,8) intersecting the flying circle, intersecting in the center (O) of the circle (B) and corresponding respectively to the second and third axes (Z_A, Y_A) of the specific reference mark, the position of the center (O) of the circle respectively representing the yaw and pitch angles referenced in longitude and latitude, respectively with respect to a meridian portion (M) and a parallel portion (P) of the net;

and displaying the value of the roll angle (φ

) in a scale (10) of numerical values, close to the intersection of the flying circle (B) with the segment (7) of the reticule corresponding to the second axis (A_A) of the specific reference mark.

2. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that, in a predetermined circular zone (5) around each pole of the celestial canopy, said process further comprising the step of replacing the display of a net of portions of meridians and parallels of the celestial canopy by a net forming a reference grid within a circle (6) defining said zone.

3. Process according to claim 2, wherein the cardan angles (φ

, θ

, ψ

) are expressed in the form of quaternions.

4. Process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of:

displaying by a symbol (V1) in the net, the location of a point on the celestial canopy, this point being the intersection of a vector representing the speed of the aircraft (A) and of the celestial canopy, said symbol being positioned in the net and indicating the sideslip and incidence angles of the aircraft, referenced in longitude and latitude.

5. Process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of displaying the position of another object in space by a symbol (11), said object referenced in the net by a longitude and a latitude corresponding to said position.

6. Process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of also displaying a short term prediction vector (12) of the aircraft attitude.

7. Process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of displaying the selected attitude of the aircraft by an attitude symbol positioned in the net in longitude and latitude.

8. Process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of displaying an original meridian portion (14A, 14B) from among the meridian portions displayed in the net.

9. Process according to claim 8, further comprises the steps of displaying two reference symbols (17, 18) of the roll angle (φ

), which are diametrically opposite on the flying circle (B), and displaying on said flying circle an intermediate symbol wherein is indicated a selected roll angle.

10. Process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of displaying respectively numerical roll, pitch and yaw velocity values (p,q,r) in cursors (19,21,23), which move relative to fixed numerical value scales (20,22,24).

11. Process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of displaying the respective numerical values (25) of the roll, pitch and yaw angles (φ

, θ

, ψ

).

12. Process according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying the respective reference numerical values (26) respectively for the roll, pitch and yaw angles.