System and method for gyro enhanced vertical flight information

• US 7,305,286 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trutrak Flight Systems, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Younkin, James R., Bilbe, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peche; Jorge O
• Application Number:
  US11/263,564
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3- 7, 701/11, 701/14, 701/15, 701/16, 701/200, 701/207, 244/177, 244/194, 244/3.2, 244/3.16, 244/321, 244/171, 731/700.1, 731/78.R, 702/150, 702/151, 333/28
• US Class Current: 701/7
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers

Abstract

A flight instrument and associated method where vertical speed information is combined with gyro information to produce gyro enhanced vertical speed information that is displayed to a pilot. The gyro information may include a pitch rate gyro and may include an azimuth rate gyro. The pitch rate gyro and azimuth rate gyro may be combined to yield a corrected pitch rate in turns. In one embodiment, the display is an airplane symbol that moves relative to a horizon line responsive to the gyro enhanced vertical speed information. The horizon line may also tilt in response to the azimuth rate gyro.

Claims

1. A flight instrument comprising:

a vertical speed sensor, said vertical speed sensor producing a vertical speed signal;

a pitch axis rate gyro and an azimuth rate gyro, said pitch axis rate gyro producing a pitch axis rate signal;

said azimuth rate gyro responsive, at least in part, to azimuth rate;

a combination processor, said combination processor combining the vertical speed signal and the pitch axis rate signal to produce a gyro enhanced vertical speed signal;

a display comprising a horizon line wherein a tilt angle of the horizon line is responsive to the azimuth rate gyro; and

an aircraft reference marker;

wherein said aircraft reference marker is disposed vertically relative to said horizon line by a vertical distance, and said vertical distance between said aircraft reference marker and said horizon line is representative of said gyro enhanced vertical speed signal.

2. The flight instrument of claim 1, wherein the aircraft reference marker comprises an airplane symbol.

3. The flight instrument of claim 1, wherein the gyro enhanced vertical speed signal includes a correction based on said azimuth rate gyro, said correction for reducing an azimuth rate response of said pitch axis rate gyro.

4. The flight instrument of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a numeric display positioned vertically with respect to said horizon line within the horizontal extents of said horizon line, and the numeric display displays a numeric value representing the gyro enhanced vertical speed signal.

9. The flight instrument of claim 1, wherein said gyro enhanced vertical speed signal is responsive to said vertical speed signal in a long term and responsive to said pitch axis rate signal in a short term.

10. The flight instrument of claim 1, wherein said aircraft reference is fixed vertically relative to said flight instrument.

11. The flight instrument of claim 1, wherein said horizon line is fixed vertically relative to said flight instrument.

5. A method for displaying gyro enhanced vertical speed information comprising:

providing vertical speed information;

providing vertical axis information based on rate gyro information, said rate gyro information including pitch rate information produced by a pitch rate gyro and azimuth rate information produced by an azimuth rate gyro;

combining the vertical speed information and the vertical axis information to produce said gyro enhanced vertical speed information; and

displaying a horizon line and an aircraft reference, said horizon line and said aircraft reference having a vertical separation representative of said gyro enhanced vertical speed information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the gyro enhanced vertical information includes a correction based on the difference between the vertical speed information and the gyro enhanced vertical speed information, said difference scaled according to azimuth rate information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the pitch rate information is adjusted in accordance with the azimuth rate information.

8. The method of claim 5, further including a forward speed sensor producing forward speed information, wherein a magnitude of said gyro information is adjusted substantially proportional to said forward speed information.