3d stereo integrated attitude director and horizontal situation

Abstract

An integrated attitude director indicator and horizontal situation indicator is disclosed that utilizes stereopsis to combine information that normally requires two display surfaces onto a single electronic display. One embodiment of the display comprises left and right eye versions alternately presented on the display in synchronism with alternate eye shuttered lenses worn by the viewer. The viewer has an instantaneous sense of the real world direction from his aircraft as apparently suspended within a spherical grid. The integrated display provides a presentation somewhat similar to existing flat screen separate instruments with an aircraft symbol lying at the center of the sphere with roll, pitch and heading scales displayed on this sphere. The sphere itself has one color such as blue above the horizon line and a different color such as brown below the horizon line. An additional feature comprises situational awareness cues, such as aircraft symbols, in the form of boxes on the spherical grid at a relative polar coordinate angle from the aircraft containing the instruments. These aircraft symbols may be color coded to represent threats, friendlies or unknowns. These situational cues allow the pilot to monitor and take evasive action with respect to such nearby aircraft.