United Technologies Corporation

Other

Bruce E Hamilton

Lorren Stiles

Howard P Harper

Thomas Wright

James J Licari

Robert C Kass

Robert E Spero

A virtual image display system provides video displays based upon virtual images of the external world having synchronized structural outlines superimposed on the video displays to a pilot operating an aircraft such as a helicopter in non-visual flight conditions. The virtual image display system includes a virtual imaging subsystem for generating virtual images of the external world, a video display subsystem for generating video images based upon the virtual images and for displaying the video images for the pilot's viewing, a sensing means for providing signals corresponding to the spatial location and perspective of the video display subsystem, a map comprising structural outlines corresponding to structural members forming the canopy structure of the helicopter, and a computer subsystem providing electronic interfacing between the elements of the virtual image display system, for synchronizing the orientation of the virtual imaging subsystem with the video display subsystem, and for processing the virtual image signals to provide signals to the video display subsystem to generate video displays. The computer utilizes the helmet position signals to define the relative position and orientation of the video display subsystem in the cockpit, and utilizes such definition to reconstruct structural outlines from the map that are synchronized to the perspective of the video images. The synchronized structural images are superimposed upon the video display.

Helicopter virtual image display system incorporating structural outlines

A power management symbology (PMS) display system for helicopters that provides a continually updated, combined analog/digital symbolic display of selected status information vis-a-vis the helicopter powerplant. The PMS display system includes a multi-dimensional, continuously updated, combined analog/digital display symbol that is optimized for discriminability and compatibility with respect to the pilot's visual system. The power management symbol includes a first dimension that is a static, analog representation of 120 percent nominal torque rating of the helicopter powerplant that functions as a referent, a second dimension that is a dynamic, analog representation of the maximum continuous power available from the powerplant, a third dimension that is a dynamic, analog representation of the power required to hover OGE, a fourth dimension that is a dynamic, digital/analog representation of the average instantaneous power being provided by the powerplant, and a fifth dimension that is an analog representation of a 'torque split' condition of the powerplant that is only visible when the individual power outputs between the engines of the powerplant exceed a predetermined threshold differential. The PMS display system further includes a computer means, first and second sensor subsystems, a video display subsystem, and a sensing subsystem which, in combination, generate a synchronized video image of the power management symbol for the video display subsystem.

Power management symbology display system

Images are provided to a pilot in an aircraft overflying the earth by means of a helmet mounted display system. The position and attitude of the aircraft with respect to the earth and the attitude of the helmet with respect to the aircraft are monitored in order to convert a plurality of stored earth position signals into helmet coordinates. Earth points which are viewable by the pilot are displayed using symbolic images thereof such that the symbolic images coincide, from the pilot's point of view, with the actual positions of the viewable points on the earth.

Contact-analog headup display method and apparatus

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Sandy Hook, CT, United States of America

Bruce E Hamilton