Onboard terrain anticollision display device

• US 7,120,540 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2003
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DME Company LLC (Milacron Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Meunier, Hugues
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/539,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/5, 701/9, 701/10, 701/11, 701/14, 701/16, 701/17, 701/18, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 701/300, 701/301, 340/940, 340/979
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/005 altimeters for aircraft G01C5/02, G01C5/06 take precedence

Abstract

Terrain anticollision equipment generally uses a display device showing a two-dimensional synthetic map of the terrain overflown by the aircraft and in which the relief is shown by superposed slices assigned false colors representative of the magnitude of the risk of collisions. The allocation of the false colors and/or the positions of the slices is referenced with respect to a reference display altitude related to the instantaneous altitude of the aircraft or to a short term forecast altitude for the aircraft, each of the referencings having its own advantages as a function of the situation in progress for the aircraft. Here it is proposed that the reference display altitude be made to vary, with gentle transitions, with no visible jerks on the screen, as a function of the aircraft'"'"'s situation deduced from the flight parameters so as to have, at any moment for the crew, the most pertinent possible and the most useful possible map having regard to the instantaneous situation vis à vis the risks of collision.

Claims

1. A display device for terrain anticollision equipment carried onboard an aircraft detecting the risks of collision of the aircraft with the terrain and/or ground obstacles by comparison, of at least one protection envelope constructed around the short term predicted trajectory of the aircraft, with a representation of an envelope of the terrain and/or of the ground obstacles overflown and by detection of the intrusion, into the said protection envelope or envelopes, of the terrain and/or of the ground obstacles overflown, said display device displaying, on one or more screens installed onboard, an image representing in at least two dimensions of the envelope of the terrain and/or of the obstacles, in the form of superposed slices assigned false colors and/or various textures and/or symbols referenced with respect to a reference display altitude, and comprising:

means for adjustment that vary the reference display altitude when a risk of terrain collision is detected as a function of;

the slopes of the trajectory of the aircraft at the instant of detection of a risk of terrain collision and at the present instant,

a short term predicted altitude for the aircraft; and

the instantaneous altitude of the aircraft.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude switch instantaneously, at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision, between the value of the altitude related to the short term predicted altitude for the aircraft and the instantaneous altitude of the aircraft.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the switching of the means for adjustment is triggered at the start of a next cycle of refreshing of the image on the screen or is displayed the image.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude provide for a gentle transition, onward of the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision, between the value of the short term predicted altitude for the aircraft and the altitude related to the altitude of the aircraft.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude initially give the reference display altitude, at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision, the value of the short term predicted altitude for the aircraft.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if aircraft was climbing or holding level at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision and maintains or accentuates the climb after the detection of the risk of terrain collision, the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude fix the value of the reference display altitude at value at the moment.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the aircraft was climbing or holding level at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision and attenuates the climb after the detection of the risk of terrain collision, the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude slave the reference display value to the value of the short term predicted altitude for the aircraft.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the aircraft was climbing or holding level at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision and begins to descend, the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude slave the value of the reference display altitude to the instantaneous value of the altitude of the aircraft.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the aircraft was climbing or holding level at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision and when the instantaneous altitude becomes greater than the last value taken by the reference display altitude, the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude slave the value of the reference display altitude to the instantaneous value of the altitude of the aircraft.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the aircraft was descending at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision and accentuates its descent after the detection of the risk of terrain collision, the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude slave the value of the reference display altitude to the value of the short term predicted altitude for the aircraft.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the aircraft was descending at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision and attenuates the descent after the detection of the risk of terrain collision, the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude slave the reference display value to the value of the short term predicted altitude of the aircraft.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the aircraft was descending at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision and begins to climb, the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude slave the value of the reference display altitude to the instantaneous value of the altitude of the aircraft.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the aircraft was descending at the moment of the detection of a risk of terrain collision and when the instantaneous altitude becomes less than the last value taken by the reference display altitude, the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude slave the value of the reference display altitude to the instantaneous value of the altitude of the aircraft.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude switch instantaneously, at the moment of the disappearance of a risk of terrain collision, between the value of the altitude related to the instantaneous altitude of the aircraft and the value of the short term predicted altitude for the aircraft.

15. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the switching of the means for adjustment is triggered at the start of a next cycle of refreshing of the image on the screen or is displayed the image.

16. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for adjustment of the reference display altitude allow a gentle switching, onward of the moment of the disappearance of a risk of terrain collision, between the value of the altitude related to the instantaneous altitude of the aircraft and the value of the short term predicted altitude for the aircraft.