US 4,667,196 AGranted

Active visual display system for remote three-axis flight path guidance of landing aircraft

OwnerCharles E. Kaulinventor

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Abstract

An active, electro-optical display system for use on fixed-wing, land-based airport runways, is disclosed for remotely guiding a pilot during visual approach and landing of an aircraft. Conventional Microwave Landing System (MLS) ground-transmitted data is air-derived on board the aircraft and data-linked to a ground receiver to produce a continuous digital data signal indicative of aircraft slant range, elevation and azimuth relative to the desired landing position. The resulting data signal is electrically coupled to a signal processor governed in accordance with control guidance laws to produce three discrete signals indicative of the magnitude and direction of the descent rate error, the flight path acceleration, and the lateral drift rate of the aircraft relative to the intended landing area. The three control signals are respectively coupled to display drivers which produce a plurality of drive signals for energizing individual light cells in horizontally oriented linear arrays located adjacent to the runway. The resulting light signals provide a continuous visual indication of the flight path acceleration and flight path angular error, in the elevation and azimuth planes, for appropriate corrective action by the pilot.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A ground-based electro-optical visual display apparatus located on an airport surface adjacent to a runway, for providing remote three-axis flight path guidance to a pilot of an approaching aircraft for precise manual control in landing an aircraft along a desired flight path, comprising:

sensor means on said surface for producing a digital data signal representative of the identity of, and the instantaneous angular displacement of and slant range to the aircraft from the intended point of landing on a runway;
signal processor means on said surface electrically coupled to said sensor means to receive the digital data signal from said sensor means and governed in accordance with three control guidance algorithms for producing three discrete digital control signals, which when converted by said signal processor means to analog signals are amplitude and polarity representative of the instantaneous magnitude and direction, respectively, of the descent rate error, the change in aircraft speed representative of a wind shear condition, and the lateral drift rate of the aircraft;
and display means electrically coupled to said signal processor means to receive the three control signals from said signal processor means, said display means having light operating means which are amplitude and polarity responsive to the input signals for providing a continuously visible, horizontally disposed light bar indication to the pilot of the instantaneous magnitude and direction of descent rate error, the change in aircraft speed representative of a wind shear condition and the lateral drift rate of the aircraft.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.