Attitude indicator generating and presenting system, device, and method

• US 9,540,116 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• 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: Barber, Sarah
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US14/754,779
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/8, 701/16, 701/9, 701/14, 701/400, 340973-975, 340/977
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32

Abstract

A system, device, and method for generating and presenting an aircraft attitude indicator are disclosed. The attitude indicator presenting system may include a presentation system comprised of one or more display units receiving image data from an image generator (IG). The IG may be configured to acquire navigation data and generate the image data as a function of the navigation data. The navigation data could include data representative of aircraft roll and/or pitch attitude, and the image data could be representative of at least of an image of the attitude indicator comprised of a sky area and a ground area. The ground area may be visually presented by either a first texture or a second texture depending on whether a trigger attitude has been met or exceeded.

Claims

1. A system for presenting an aircraft attitude indicator, comprising:

at least one display unit configured to;

receive image data representative of an image of an aircraft attitude indicator provided by

an image generator including at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code and configured to;

acquire navigation data representative of a roll attitude and a pitch attitude from a source of navigation data; and

generate the image data as a function of the roll attitude and the pitch attitude, where

 

the aircraft attitude indicator is comprised of at least a sky area and a ground area presenting one of a plurality of visual presentations, where

 

a first visual presentation of the ground area includes a presentation that does not change when

 

the roll attitude is less than or equal to a roll trigger attitude defining an unusual roll attitude, and

 

the pitch attitude is less than or equal to a pitch trigger attitude defining an unusual pitch attitude, and

 

a second visual presentation of the ground area includes a rough-textured presentation that moves within the ground area when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively; and

present the image represented in the image data, whereby

an optical flow of the rough-textured presentation, without a change to a presentation of the sky area, is provided when the unusual roll attitude or the unusual pitch attitude is being encountered.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

a color of the sky area is blue, and

a color of the ground area of the first visual presentation is brown.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ground area of the first presentation includes a smooth appearance or a smooth-textured appearance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the rough-textured presentation includes at least one of an irregularly-shaped spot and an irregularly-sized spot.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein

a third visual presentation of the ground area includes a smooth-textured appearance that moves within the ground area when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively, such that

the second visual presentation and the third visual presentation are presented intermittently.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein neither the first visual presentation nor the second visual presentation replicate a ground surface located in an actual scene in front of the aircraft.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein

the image generator is further configured to:

generate advisory data representative of at least one of an aural advisory and a tactile advisory when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively; and

provide the advisory data to at least one of an aural advisory unit and a tactile advisory unit, whereby

the aural advisory and the tactile advisory, respectively, is provided when the unusual roll attitude or the unusual pitch attitude is being encountered.

8. A device for generating an aircraft attitude indicator, comprising:

an image generator including at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code and configured to;

acquire navigation data representative of a roll attitude and a pitch attitude from a source of navigation data; and

generate the image data as a function of the roll attitude and the pitch attitude, where

the image data is representative of an image of at least an aircraft attitude indicator comprised of at least at least a sky area and a ground area presenting one of a plurality of visual presentations, where

a first visual presentation of the ground area includes a presentation that does not change when

 

the roll attitude is less than or equal to a roll trigger attitude defining an unusual roll attitude, and

 

the pitch attitude is less than or equal to a pitch trigger attitude defining an unusual pitch attitude, and

a second visual presentation of the ground area includes a rough-textured presentation that moves within the ground area when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively, such that

 

the image is presentable by at least one display unit to provide an optical flow of the rough-textured presentation, without a change to a presentation of the sky area, when the unusual roll attitude or the unusual pitch attitude is being encountered.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein

a color of the sky area is blue, and

a color of the ground area of the first visual presentation is brown.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the ground area of the first presentation includes a smooth appearance or a smooth-textured appearance.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the rough-textured presentation includes at least one of an irregularly-shaped spot and an irregularly-sized spot.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein

a third visual presentation of the ground area includes a smooth-textured appearance that moves within the ground area when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively, such that

the second visual presentation and the third visual presentation are presented intermittently.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein neither the first visual presentation nor the second visual presentation replicate a ground surface located in an actual scene in front of the aircraft.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein

the image generator is further configured to:

generate advisory data representative of at least one of an aural advisory and a tactile advisory when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively; and

provide the advisory data to at least one of an aural advisory unit and a tactile advisory unit to provide the aural advisory and the tactile advisory, respectively, when the unusual roll attitude or the unusual pitch attitude is being encountered.

15. A method for generating an aircraft attitude indicator, comprising:

acquiring, by at least one processor executing processor-executable code, navigation data representative of a roll attitude and a pitch attitude from a source of navigation data; and

generating image data as a function of the roll attitude and the pitch attitude, where

the image data is representative of an image of at least an aircraft attitude indicator comprised of at least at least a sky area and a ground area presenting one of a plurality of visual presentations, where

a first visual presentation of the ground area includes a presentation that does not change when

the roll attitude is less than or equal to a roll trigger attitude defining an unusual roll attitude, and

the pitch attitude is less than or equal to a pitch trigger attitude defining an unusual pitch attitude, and

a second visual presentation of the ground area includes a rough-textured presentation that moves within the ground area when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively, such that

the image is presentable by at least one display unit to provide an optical flow of the rough-textured presentation, without a change to a presentation of the sky area, when the unusual roll attitude or the unusual pitch attitude is being encountered.

16. The method of claim 15, the ground area of the first presentation includes a smooth appearance or a smooth-textured appearance.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the rough-textured presentation includes at least one of an irregularly-shaped spot and an irregularly-sized spot.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein

a third visual presentation of the ground area includes a smooth-textured appearance that moves within the ground area when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively, such that

the second visual presentation and the third visual presentation are presented intermittently.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein neither the first visual presentation nor the second visual presentation replicate a ground surface located in an actual scene in front of the aircraft.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating advisory data representative of at least one of an aural advisory and a tactile advisory when the roll attitude or the pitch attitude is greater than or equal to the roll trigger attitude or the pitch trigger attitude, respectively; and

providing the advisory data to at least one of an aural advisory unit and a tactile advisory unit to provide the aural advisory and the tactile advisory, respectively, when the unusual roll attitude or the unusual pitch attitude is being encountered.