Symbology for representing aircraft position

• US 6,992,597 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Charles N. Asbury, Steven P. Rogers
• Original Assignee: Charles N. Asbury, Steven P. Rogers
• Inventors: Rogers, Steven P., Asbury, Charles N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US10/394,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20040183697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,046 Days
• Field of Search: 340/980, 340/973, 340947-948, 340/954, 340/961, 340/977, 340/3, 340 14- 18, 340301-302
• US Class Current: 340/980
• 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

Abstract

A symbology system uses programmable software in a computerized system interacting with the altitude, attitude, air speed, and other flight indicators of an aircraft to create symbology in the pilot'"'"'s display seen in the field of view of the pilot. The symbology represents a virtual geometric solid form, such as a vertical cylinder, always appearing perpendicular to the horizon and moving across the terrain with the aircraft in the center of the form. The pilot sees a front portion of a virtual series of horizontal circles or other shapes, spaced by a programmable distance, symbolizing the geometric solid form appearing to surround the aircraft. The geometric form references the world as-ground for use in recognizing the attitude of the aircraft-as-figure. On landing, the form appears to stop at the ground and the aircraft appears to descend within it. A virtual bank indicator line changes orientation to the geometric solid corresponding to the attitude change of the aircraft relative to the horizon.

Claims

1. A symbology system for programming information relative to an aircraft'"'"'s flight position to create symbology representing the flight position in the visual field of a pilot, the system comprising:

a programmable means for gathering flight position information in real time about an aircraft from a number of instruments on the aircraft and using the flight position information to create symbology representing the flight position information in the visual field of a pilot of the aircraft;

the symbology comprising an image representing a virtual figure surrounding the aircraft and traveling with the aircraft and maintaining a particular orientation to the actual landscape, the symbology providing information to the pilot regarding distances and orientations of the aircraft relative to the virtual figure so that movements of the aircraft are viewed by the pilot as taking place within the virtual figure, the symbology assuming a recognizably different imagery when the virtual figure theoretically comes into contact with an external surface upon landing so that the pilot is capable of viewing the position of the aircraft relative to the external surface using the symbology, the virtual figure appearing in the visual field of the pilot in a heads up display so that the pilot sees the virtual figure that would actually be visible out the window of the cockpit if the virtual figure were actually there surrounding the aircraft providing an instantaneous visual reference of aircraft orientation and position relative to the virtual figure.

2. The symbology system of claim 1 wherein the recognizably different imagery when the virtual figure theoretically comes into contact with an external surface in a landing operation on the external surface comprises the virtual image represented in a virtual vertically stationary position resting on the external surface and the aircraft appearing to descend within the virtual image.

3. The symbology system of claim 1 wherein the virtual figure is a virtual geometric solid figure represented in the visual field of the pilot by a series of spaced stacked slices of the peripheral edges of the slices seen as defining the portion of the virtual figure which would be visible to the pilot if the figure were actually surrounding the aircraft.

4. The symbology system of claim 1, utilizing the world as-ground for recognizing the attitude of the aircraft-as-figure.

5. A symbology system for programming information relative to an aircraft'"'"'s flight position to create symbology representing the flight position in the visual field of a pilot, the system comprising:

a programmable means for gathering flight position information in real time about an aircraft from a number of instruments on the aircraft and using the flight position information to create symbology representing the flight position information in the visual field of a pilot of the aircraft;

the symbology comprising an image representing a virtual figure surrounding the aircraft and traveling with the aircraft and maintaining a particular orientation to the actual landscape, the symbology providing information to the pilot regarding distances and orientations of the aircraft relative to the virtual figure so that movements of the aircraft are viewed by the pilot as taking place within the virtual figure, the symbology assuming a recognizably different imagery when the virtual figure theoretically comes into contact with an external surface so that the pilot is capable of viewing the position of the aircraft relative to the external surface using the symbology, the virtual figure comprising a virtual geometric solid figure represented in the visual field of the pilot by a series of spaced stacked slices of the peripheral edges of the slices seen as defining the portion of the virtual figure which would be visible to the pilot if the figure were actually surrounding the aircraft.

6. The symbology system of claim 5, wherein information representing a smooth-earth horizon line and aircraft attitude may be displayed in conjunction with the virtual geometric solid figure.

7. The symbology system of claim 6, wherein a line of vertical tic marks may be displayed in conjunction with the geometric form between each of the spaced stacked slices, the line of vertical tic marks pointing towards the horizon line.

8. The symbology system of claim 5, wherein information representing a bank line and aircraft attitude may be displayed in conjunction with the virtual geometric solid figure.

9. The symbology system of claim 8, wherein information representing the bank line comprises symbology which appears parallel to the aircraft flight deck.

10. The symbology system of claim 5, where the number of spaced stacked slices within the virtual geometric solid figure may be defined dynamically by the aircraft pilot.

11. The symbology system of claim 5, where the diameter of and the interval between the spaced stacked slices within the virtual geometric solid may be defined dynamically by the pilot of the aircraft.

12. The symbology system of claim 5, wherein the recognizably different imagery when the virtual figure theoretically comes into contact with an external surface in a landing operation on the external surface comprises the geometric solid figure represented in a virtual vertically stationary position resting on the external surface and a visual representation of the descent of the aircraft within the geometric solid figure upon landing.

13. The symbology system of claim 12, further comprising a visual representation of the aircraft coming into contact with the external surface upon landing.

14. The symbology system of claim 5, wherein color attributes of the symbology may be defined dynamically by the pilot of the aircraft.

15. The symbology system of claim 5, where a size of the virtual form may be defined dynamically by the pilot of the aircraft.