System for restoring the visual environment of a pilot in a simulator

• US 5,582,518 A
• Filed: 02/21/1995
• Issued: 12/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Etat Francais, Thomson-CSF
• Original Assignee: Etat Francais, Thomson-CSF
• Inventors: Henique, Michel, Malterre, Jean-Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US08/391,463
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 434/37, 434/38, 434/40, 434/43, 434/44, 434/47, 434/57, 434/21, 434/247, 434/307, 212/1 C, 212/31 A, 212/31 B, 213/10, 213/DIG. 28, 213/85 G, 213/10, 345/7, 348/123, 353/30
• US Class Current: 434/44
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/32 by projected image G09B9/307, G09B9/36 take precedence

Abstract

The disclosed system essentially comprises a small diameter sphere, forming a projection screen, in which the pilot is placed. This sphere is associated with external and internal generators.

Claims

1. A system for projecting visual information to a simulator pilot comprising:

a simulated cockpit of a sufficient size to allow at least one individual to sit therein;

an approximately spherical wall having an inside and an outside surface made of a translucent material and having at least one surface treated so as to provide a projection surface and having a size approximately that of a real cockpit and which encloses at least an area in front of said simulated cockpit such that said wall is in the field view of said individual sitting therein;

a plurality of standard internal projectors contained within said cockpit for directly projecting images on the inside of said spherical wall in the field of view and directly without additional optical element intervention on the translucent material of said spherical wall of said individual wherein at least one of said projectors is a fish eye moveable projector for projecting of ground/sky images and at least one projector of target images; and

at least two external projectors placed external to said cockpit for projecting images directly on the outside of said spherical wall such that said images, projected by said external projectors on the outside of said translucent spherical wall, are superimposed on said images projected on the inside of said translucent spherical wall by said internal projectors so as to create a composite image wherein said at least two external fixed projectors comprises at least one projector of the landscape, and at least one projector of a sight unit.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said spherical wall has a diameter measured from the eyes of said individual to said wall ranging from about 1 to 3 meters.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the thickness of the wall is about 2 to 10 mm.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said spherical wall, comprises:

two semi-spheres fabricated separately by hot blowing with two plane plates made of plastic material and then assembled so as to form said approximately spherical wall such that an aperture is made therein, enabling the pilot to take a position therein.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the inside wall is treated by the deposition of coating layers.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the coating layers are layers of paint.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the paint is white paint.

8. A system according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the coating is made to vary.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said wall having at least one surface treated is a treatment enabling a frosting to be obtained.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the wall is made of plastic material tinted in the mass.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one zone of said spherical wall is formed by a planar screen section.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the planar screen section is fixed to a portion of said spherical wall.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein said planar screen section is fixed between said spherical wall and said individual.

14. A system according to claim 1, with a cockpit placed inside the wall and having a seat for the pilot, wherein the seat is arranged so that the pilot'"'"'s eye is close to the center of the sphere formed by the wall, at a distance from this center which is smaller than about 40 cm.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the seat is movable on rails and adjustable in height and in inclination.

16. A system according to claim 1, comprising an instrument panel having real instruments.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein at least one part of the instrument panel forms a screen to at least one external projector.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein said fish-eye projector, projecting the moving image of the sky and the ground, has a high brilliance cathode-ray tube projector.

19. A system according to claim 1, wherein said fish-eye projector, projecting the moving image of the sky and the ground, has a projector with laser generator, working in television scanning mode.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the internal images projectors further has a second projector with laser generator, modulator and deflection device.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein the laser generator does a tracing in calligraphic scanning mode.

22. A system according to claim 20, wherein the projector with laser generator traces a horizon line on the projection wall and a movable grid on the ground.

23. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means for generating images of targets by way of movable spots having variable diameters that can be at least partially concealed.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein the spots can be concealed according to a variable frequency.

25. A system according to claim 1, wherein the images of the targets are produced by a projector with laser generator.