Patent ID: 6020832
Filing Date: 2000-02-01
Classification: G01C,G01S

Abstract:
An apparatus for automatically and independently determining aircraft altitude and alerting the pilot to deviations from a target altitude exceeding a specified tolerance value, the alerter comprising:a self-contained altitude sensing means for sensing the present altitude of the aircraft;target entry means for entering the target altitude to which said present aircraft altitude is compared, said target entry means comprising a push-button electrically connected to said computation means such that upon depressing of said pushbutton, said target altitude is equated to said present aircraft altitude;computation means for receiving and processing said present aircraft altitude information from said self-contained altitude sensing means and for receiving and processing said target altitude from said target entry means, said computation means being operative to compare said present altitude to said target altitude and to compute the difference therebetween, said computation means also operative to compute the absolute value of said difference and compare said absolute difference between said target and present altitudes to the tolerance value; andmeans for indicating an altitude alerting condition upon the detection of a condition wherein said absolute difference is larger than said tolerance value, said indicating means being connected to said computation means and operative to indicate the occurrence of said altitude alerting condition.