Visual control towers
AssigneeAlifabs Limited
InventorFrancis C. Adlam
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The control room of an airport control tower is octagonal and has windows at at least two ends of the room, and work stations for controllers adjacent these windows. Each of the two windows extends along three adjoining sides of the room, and the work station is disposed behind the window at the middle of the three sides. The controller at each work station has a lateral field of view of at least 180.degree. unobstructed by mullions or other structural supporting elements. The windows are composed of planar transparent panels, and sealing elements which pose no significant obstruction to vision are provided at the joints between the panels.
Claims9
A tower structure comprising:
- a room having side walls and a roof mounted atop said side walls;
- a plurality of supporting columns extending upwardly through said room to said roof and supporting said room by supporting said roof;
- a first work station provided in said room at a first side portion of said room, outwardly of said plurality of supporting columns, and inwardly of a first contiguous plurality of said side walls,
- wherein each side wall of said first contiguous plurality of said side walls comprises a planar transparent panel facing outwardly and downwardly, such that said first contiguous plurality of said side walls constitutes a first contiguous plurality of planar transparent panels, and
- wherein said first work station is so located relative to said first contiguous plurality of planar transparent panels and said support structure that said first contiguous plurality of planar transparent panels constitutes a means for providing a controller at said first work station with a lateral field of view of at least 180 degrees through said first contiguous plurality of planar transparent panels, which field of view is uninterrupted by mullions or other structural supporting elements, and
- a second work station provided in said room at a second side portion of said room, outwardly of said plurality of supporting columns, and inwardly of a second contiguous plurality of said side walls,
- wherein each side wall of said second contiguous plurality of said side Walls comprises a planar transparent panel facing outwardly and downwardly, such that said second contiguous plurality of said side walls constitutes a second contiguous plurality of planar transparent panels, and
- wherein said second work station is so located relative to said second contiguous plurality of planar transparent panels and said plurality of supporting columns that said second contiguous plurality of planar transparent panels constitutes a means for providing a controller at said second work station with a lateral field of view of at least 180 degrees through said second contiguous plurality of planar transparent panels, which field of view is uninterrupted by mullions or other structural supporting elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.