Peripheral vision hover drift cueing

• US 9,542,147 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Colby, Stephen D.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US14/107,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 701/14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 49/00 Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S
• 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: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units

Abstract

Peripheral vision hover drift cueing methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, a system can include one or more sensors, and a peripheral vision hover drift cueing controller coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to determine hover drift and to control a plurality of indicators in response to determined hover drift. The system can also include a first hover drift indicator coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of a vehicle cockpit; and a second hover drift indicator coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of the vehicle cockpit.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more sensors;

a peripheral vision hover drift cueing controller coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to determine hover drift and to control a plurality of indicators in response to determined hover drift; and

two or more hover drift indicators coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of a vehicle'"'"'s cockpit in a peripheral vision area of a pilot with respect to a central instrument panel of the vehicle being in a central vision area of the pilot,

the two or more hover drift indicators being separate from each other and the central instrument panel;

wherein the two or more hover drift indicators each include a plurality of light emitting diodes, and

the plurality of light emitting diodes indicate the hover drift by emitting light so as to appear to move in a direction of the hover drift.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensors include one or more of a radar altimeter, an air data system, an inertial navigation system, a traffic alert and collision avoidance system, an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS)/Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) system, a digital map, a terrain database, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) receiver, a microwave radar, a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera, and/or a video camera.

3. The system of claim 1, the two or more hover drift indicators comprising a first hover drift indicator and a second hover drift indicator.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first hover drift indicator is configured to indicate fore/aft drift and the second hover drift indicator is configured to indicate lateral drift.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is a helicopter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a watercraft.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the first hover drift indicator is mounted on a door frame of the vehicle adjacent a seat of the pilot so as to be visible in the peripheral vision area of the pilot and the second hover drift indicator is mounted adjacent to a central instrument panel of the vehicle so as to be visible in the peripheral vision area of the pilot.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, at a processor, vehicle position information from one or more sensors disposed on a vehicle;

determining, at the processor, hover drift based on the received vehicle position information; and

controlling, with the processor, two or more peripheral vision hover drift indicators based on the determined hover drift, the two or more hover drift indicators being mounted on an inside surface of a cockpit of the vehicle in a peripheral vision area of a pilot with respect to a central instrument panel of the vehicle being in a central vision area of the pilot, the two or more hover drift indicators being separate from each other and the central instrument panel;

wherein the two or more hover drift indicators each include a plurality of light emitting diodes, and

indicating the hover drift by using the plurality of light emitting diodes to emit light so as to appear to move in a direction of the hover drift.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the two or more peripheral vision hover drift indicators includes a first hover drift indicator and a second hover drift indicator.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle is a watercraft.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first hover drift indicator is configured to indicate fore/aft drift and the second hover drift indicator is configured to indicate lateral drift.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first hover drift indicator is mounted on a door frame of the vehicle adjacent a seat of the pilot so as to be visible in the peripheral vision area of the pilot.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second hover drift indicator is mounted adjacent to a central instrument panel of the vehicle so as to be visible in the peripheral vision area of the pilot.

16. A nontransitory computer readable medium having stored thereon software instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations including:

receiving, at a processor, vehicle position information from one or more sensors disposed on a vehicle;

determining, at the processor, hover drift based on the received vehicle position information; and

controlling, with the processor, two or more peripheral vision hover drift indicators based on the determined hover drift, the two or more hover drift indicators being mounted on an inside surface of a cockpit of the vehicle in a peripheral vision area of a pilot with respect to a central instrument panel of the vehicle being in a central vision area of the pilot, the two or more hover drift indicators being separate from each other and the central instrument panel;

wherein the two or more hover drift indicators each include a plurality of light emitting diodes, and

indicating the hover drift by using the plurality of light emitting diodes to emit light so as to appear to move in a direction of the hover drift.

17. The nontransitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more sensors include one or more of a radar altimeter, an air data system, an inertial navigation system, a traffic alert and collision avoidance system, an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS)/Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) system, a digital map, a terrain database, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) receiver, a microwave radar, a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera, and/or a video camera.

18. The nontransitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the two or more peripheral vision hover drift indicators includes a first hover drift indicator and a second hover drift indicator.

19. The nontransitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first hover drift indicator is configured to indicate fore/aft drift and is mounted on a door frame of the vehicle adjacent a seat of the pilot so as to be visible in the peripheral vision area of the pilot.

20. The nontransitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the second hover drift indicator is configured to indicate lateral drift and is mounted adjacent to the central instrument panel of the vehicle so as to be visible in the peripheral vision area of the pilot.