Electronic exocentric symbol display device and associated display method and computer program product

A display method for displaying exocentric symbols on a display system adapted to be embarked in an aircraft, the aircraft being adapted to fly over a terrain and land on a landing zone of the terrain or to maintain a hover over the landing zone, the display method comprising:

• calculating a distance between the aircraft and the landing zone according to a horizontal direction orthogonal to a vertical direction and determining a height of the aircraft relative to the terrain;
• display on the display system of an exocentric aircraft symbol at an exocentric distance from an actual position of the aircraft according to an exocentric direction and at an exocentric height difference relative to the actual position of the aircraft according to the vertical direction, the exocentric aircraft symbol being disposed between the terrain and the actual position of the aircraft in the vertical direction;
• optionally display an actual aircraft symbol corresponding to the actual position of the aircraft;
• display of a first exocentric landing zone symbol, positioned at a distance from an actual position of the landing zone equal to the exocentric distance according to the exocentric direction and at the same height as the exocentric aircraft symbol in the vertical direction;
• and
• optionally display an actual landing zone symbol corresponding to the actual position of the landing zone,
• the distance between the exocentric aircraft symbol and the first exocentric landing zone symbol according to the horizontal direction being equal to the distance between the actual position of the aircraft and the actual position of the landing zone according to the horizontal direction.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a computer program product having software instructions which, when implemented by computer equipment, implement a display method for displaying exocentric symbols on a display system adapted to be embarked in an aircraft, the aircraft being adapted to fly over a terrain and land on a landing zone of the terrain or to maintain a hover over the landing zone, the display method comprising:

• calculating a distance between the aircraft and the landing zone according to a horizontal direction orthogonal to a vertical direction and determining a height of the aircraft relative to the terrain;
• display on the display system of an exocentric aircraft symbol at an exocentric distance from an actual position of the aircraft according to an exocentric direction and at an exocentric height difference relative to the actual position of the aircraft according to the vertical direction, the exocentric aircraft symbol being disposed between the terrain and the actual position of the aircraft in the vertical direction;
• optionally display an actual aircraft symbol corresponding to the actual position of the aircraft;
• display of a first exocentric landing zone symbol, positioned at a distance from an actual position of the landing zone equal to the exocentric distance according to the exocentric direction and at the same height as the exocentric aircraft symbol in the vertical direction;
• and
• optionally display an actual landing zone symbol corresponding to the actual position of the landing zone,
• the distance between the exocentric aircraft symbol and the first exocentric landing zone symbol according to the horizontal direction being equal to the distance between the actual position of the aircraft and the actual position of the landing zone according to the horizontal direction.