Integrated flight control indicator
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Corporation
InventorTheodore J. Voulgaris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An integrated flight control indicator for providing visual information indicative of aircraft flight parameters has a sky arc and an earth arc which are visually distinguishable from one another. The sky arc and the earth arc cooperate to generally define a circle wherein the relative lengths of the sky arc and the earth arc indicate the pitch of the aircraft. A horizon line extends approximately between the two intersections of the sky arc and the earth arc so as to provide a visual indication of the roll of the aircraft. Other indicia are provided for indicating radar or barometric altitude, vertical speed, heading, ground track, minimum altitude break, etc. Thus, the present invention provides a visual indication suitable for use in instrument panel displays, heads-up display, and helmet-mounted displays.
Claims10
A method of representing visual information indicative of aircraft flight parameters, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) displaying a sky arc on a display;
- b) displaying an earth arc visually distinguishable from said sky arc, said sky arc and said earth arc cooperating to generally define a circle, the relative lengths of said sky arc and said earth arc indicating pitch of the aircraft, the sky arc having a length greater than a length of the earth arc to indicate pitch up and the earth arc having a length greater than the length of the sky arc to indicate pitch down;
- c) displaying a horizon line extending approximately between two intersections of said sky arc and said earth arc so as to provide a visual indication of the roll of the aircraft;
- and
- d) displaying bank angle markers extending radially inward from two intersections of said sky arc and said earth arc to two ends of said horizon line, the angle between said bank angle markers and said horizon line varying with the pitch of the aircraft such that during level flight, the bank angle markers are co-linear therewith, during pitch down the bank angle markers angle up from said horizon line, and during pitch up, the bank angle markers angle down from said horizon line.
A method of representing visual information indicative of aircraft flight parameters, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) displaying a sky arc on a display;
- b) displaying an earth arc visually distinguishable from said sky arc, said sky arc and said earth arc cooperating to generally define a circle, the relative lengths of said sky arc and said earth arc indicating pitch of the aircraft, the sky arc having a length greater than a length of the earth arc to indicate pitch up and the earth arc having a length greater than the length of the sky arc to indicate pitch down;
- and
- c) displaying a break-altitude symbol formed within said circle defined by said sky arc and said earth arc to indicate that the aircraft has descended below a preset minimum altitude, the break-altitude symbol being configured to overlay an aircraft symbol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.