Back to results
US 5,479,276 AGranted
Sunlight enhanced backlight system for cockpit display
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Corporation
InventorCarl R. Herbermann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An objective lens is mounted to the lower exterior portion of a canopy to focus sunlight into an attached fiber optic bundle. The bundle then carries the light a relatively short distance to an instrument panel where it may be disbursed at a diffuser for projection through an LCD. The readability of the display becomes enhanced when sunlight causes the greatest visual interference with a pilot's vision.
Claims3
A cockpit display system comprising:
- a lens mounted to the cockpit for focusing incident sunlight;
- fiber optic means connected at a first end thereof to the lens for conducting sunlight therefrom;
- means mounted to a cockpit instrument panel for diffusing light;
- a second end of the fiber optic means connected to the light diffusing means for diffusing conducted light;
- and
- a liquid crystal display (LCD) mounted in front of the diffusing means to be backlit by diffused conducted light;
- wherein the lens is integrally molded into a lower canopy portion.
4 more elements
A cockpit display system comprising:
- a lens mounted to the nose cone of an aircraft, at the external base line of a cockpit canopy windshield, and at an angular orientation for collecting the greatest level of incident light when the sun is positioned forwardly of a pilot and at a shallow angle that interferes most with the pilot's vision, the lens focusing incident sunlight;
- fiber optic means connected at a first end thereof to the lens for conducting sunlight therefrom;
- means mounted to a cockpit instrument panel for diffusing light;
- a second end of the fiber optic means connected to the light diffusing means for diffusing conducted light;
- and
- a liquid crystal display (LCD) mounted in front of the diffusing means to be backlit by diffused conducted light.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.