System for and method of stowing HUD combiners

• US 8,937,772 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Burns, Lincoln J., Richards, John N., Wallace, David L., Howell, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Jack
• Application Number:
  US13/250,970
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 359/630, 359/632, 359/900
• US Class Current: 359/632
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features

Abstract

A stow mechanism for head up display includes a bracket for attachment to an environment associated with the head up display. The stow mechanism can also include a combiner arm rotatably attached to the bracket. The combiner arm rotates in at last two degrees of freedom as the combiner arm is rotated with respect to the bracket from an operational position to a stow position.

Claims

1. A stow mechanism for a head up display, the stow mechanism comprising:

a bracket for attachment to an environment associated with the head up display; and

a combiner arm rotatably attached to the bracket, wherein the combiner arm rotates in at least two degrees of freedom as the combiner arm is rotated with respect to the bracket from an operational position to a stow position.

2. The stow mechanism of claim 1, wherein the combiner arm rotates in at least three degrees of freedom as the combiner arm is rotated with respect to the bracket from the operational position to the stow position.

3. The stow mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:

a handle; and

a shaft integral with or attached to the handle, the shaft being rotatably coupled to the combiner arm, wherein the combiner arm is rotated from the stow position to the operational position by rotating the handle.

4. The stow mechanism of claim 3, further comprising:

a cylindrical wedge disposed between the combiner arm and the bracket.

5. The stow mechanism of claim 4, wherein the cylindrical wedge is fixed to the shaft.

6. The stow mechanism of claim 5, wherein the combiner arm includes pins and the cylindrical wedge includes detents for engaging the pins.

7. The stow mechanism of claim 4, wherein the combiner arm is not rotated and the cylindrical wedge is rotated from the operational position to a first position between the stow position and the operational position when the handle is rotated.

8. The stow mechanism of claim 4, wherein the combiner arm and the cylindrical wedge is rotated between a first position and a second position when the handle is rotated, the first position being between the operational position and the stow position, and the second position being between the stow position and the first position.

9. The stow mechanism of claim 4, wherein the cylindrical wedge is rotated and the combiner arm is not rotated between a first position and the stow position, the first position being between the stow position and the operational position and being closer to the stow position.

10. The stow mechanism of claim 3, further comprising a spherical bearing receiving the shaft, the spherical bearing being disposed in a cylindrical wedge.

11. A method of stowing a HUD, the method comprising:

rotating a combiner associated with the HUD from an operational position to a first position; and

rotating the combiner associated with the HUD from the first position to a stow position, wherein the combiner travels through at least two degrees of freedom as the combiner is rotated from the operational position to the stow position.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the combiner is rotated by rotating a handle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the handle extends from a plane coplanar with the combiner when the combiner is in the operational position.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the handle is fixed to a shaft, the shaft being fixed to a wedge through a spherical bearing.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the stow position is in-line with a ceiling in a cockpit.

16. A head up display, comprising:

a substrate waveguide; and

a stow mechanism including a combiner arm for holding the substrate waveguide in a stow path including an operational position and a stow position, the stow mechanism including a wedge and a shaft for effecting movement of the substrate waveguide in at least two degrees of freedom across the stow path.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the stow mechanism includes a handle integrated with or attached to the shaft, wherein twisting the handle moves the combiner arm across the stow path.

18. The system of claim 17, the shaft is disposed through a spherical bearing and rotatably attached to a bracket.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the bracket includes a cam having a ball bearing for engaging a detent in the wedge.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the combiner arm comprises a cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion sitting on a surface of the wedge.