Instrument panel with simulated instruments

The invention relates to an instrument panel for the operating state of a land, air or water vehicle, in particular for the cockpit of an airplane, comprising a number of display fields (13) for representing information, whereby, in order to provide an instrument panel, which may be produced and maintained in an economic manner, with realistic instrumentation, the display fields (13) are produced on a backlit sheet (11) by means of image projection and a mask (12) is overlaid on the backlit sheet (11), which comprises cutouts (14), congruent with the display fields (13).

The invention relates to an instrument panel for the operating stand of a land, air or water vehicle, in particular for the cockpit of an airplane, of the generic type as defined in the preamble to claim 1.

Known instrument panels display information that is critically important to the driver or pilot for guiding the vehicle or airplane by means of individual instruments or built-in devices on the instrument panel, the display fields of which provide the driver or pilot with a readout of the current operating and navigation data, such as the water and oil temperature, operational interferences, the speed, flight horizon, weather information and the like. The instruments for the most part are purchased separately from different manufacturers and have different interfaces for integrating them into the complete vehicle or airplane operating system. The instrument panel furthermore has servo components, e.g. potentiometers and/or switches, which are used at least in part for turning on, switching and presenting the instruments.

Instrument panels of this type are not only used in vehicles or airplanes but also in simulators used to practice realistic vehicle or air plane guidance, for which the driver cabin or the cockpit is reproduced as closely as possible to the actual one. In particular the different makes of the display instruments with rather different interfaces, supplied by different manufacturers, represent a cost factor that considerably influences the simulator production costs.

It is the object of the present invention to create a realistic instrument panel of the aforementioned type, for use in particular in vehicle or flight simulators, which can be produced and maintained at low cost by avoiding the use of many different individual instruments and which can be modified with relatively little production expenditure to adapt it to changed or expanded requirements for the driver cabin or cockpit instruments.

This object is solved according to the invention with the features specified in claim 1.

The instrument panel according to the invention has the advantage that all desired combinations of instrument panel displays can be projected realistically onto the instrument panel with corresponding dimensions of backlit sheet and mask. Depending on the size of the instrument panel, one or several image projectors are used, which are controlled by an image generator in which the different display fields with their information are digitally generated.

The backlit sheet can be provided without problem with openings for inserting servo components assigned for the presetting and switching of display fields to the required depth in the backlit sheet, as well as for inserting additional independent real instruments into the instrument panel if desired.

The instrument panel according to the invention can be adapted quickly and cheaply to changes in the instrumentation of driver cabin and cockpit because the graphic display can be changed without problem by changing the software and because the changes in the arrangement of recesses, cutouts and openings for holding the associated servo components can be made at relatively low production costs.

The instrument panel according to the invention avoids the so far standard use of a multitude of instruments produced by different manufacturers with different interfaces and the necessity of using different maintenance services as well as the problem of obtaining replacement parts. Malfunctions seldom occur in the display fields and can be corrected easily through software intervention.

The instrument panel according to the invention is preferably installed in simulators for the realistic instrumentation of a vehicle driver cabin, an airplane cockpit or an operating station for a locomotive or streetcar since the already existing image generators used to create a simulated view for the driver or pilot can also be used for generating the display fields. However, the instrument panel according to the invention can also be used in actual vehicles or airplanes.

Useful embodiments of the instrument panel according to the invention, with advantageous modifications and designs of the invention, follow from the additional claims.

According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cutouts that expose the different display fields on the backlit sheet are provided with a circumferential border on the mask that is fitted directly onto the backlit sheet. With a corresponding design of the border, the impression of a real display instrument can be created for each display field, such that it is impossible to differentiate between the “virtual” instrument panel and its real counterpart as far as the displayed instruments are concerned.

The instrument panel for the cockpit of an airplane, in particular a helicopter, shown in part schematic and in an exploded view inFIG. 1and shown in a longitudinal sectional view inFIG. 2, is provided with a plurality of instruments used for the navigation and monitoring of an orderly flight operation as well as a number of servo components for turning on, switching and presetting the instruments.

The instrument arrangement is realized by projecting the display fields13of the individual instruments with image projection onto a backlit sheet11of transparent plastic or glass and by placing a mask12of sheet metal or plastic, provided with cutouts14that are congruent with the display fields13, directly onto the backlit sheet11. The imaged individual display fields are given the references131-134inFIG. 1. The respectively congruent cutouts14in the mask12are given the references141-144. The cutouts14respectively have a circumferential border24(FIG. 2), which is adapted to the respective border of a realistic instrument that is shown “virtually” on the instrument panel. For reasons of clarity, the mask12that is placed directly onto the backlit sheet11—as shown in FIG.2—is shown inFIG. 1while lifted off the backlit sheet11. If backlit sheet11and mask12are fitted against each other, the individual display fields131-134are congruent with the associated individual cutouts141-144, meaning the cutout141coincides with the display field131, the cutout142with the display field132, etc.

The display fields13are projected with an image projector15onto the back side of backlit sheet11which is facing away from the mask12. With larger instrument panels, two or more image projectors15can also be used for imaging the display fields13. The image projector15is connected to an image projector16in which the display fields13together with the actual information shown on the display fields13is digitally generated. Image projector15and image projector16are enclosed by a housing17for which the front is adapted to the form of the instrument panel to be simulated and which is covered by the mask12that is placed over the backlit sheet11.

The servo components18generally present in the instrument panel at least in part are used to turn on, switch and preset the display instruments, which are individualized by the display fields13with cutouts14and are correspondingly assigned to the display fields13. These servo components18, for example, are potentiometers or switches that can be operated with manual operating elements19in the form of rotary buttons or switching levers.FIG. 2shows two servo components18of this type with operating element19. The servo components18, installed at the required depth, are mechanically secured in the mask12and project through the openings20in the backlit sheet11. To mechanically secure the servo components18, the mask12contains holes21that are inserted into the mask12coaxial to the openings20in the backlit sheet11. The servo components18are fitted with a setscrew22through the cutouts21and are tightened on the mask12with a counter element fitted onto the setscrew22. In the exemplary embodiment for servo components18, shown inFIG. 2, each setscrew22is provided with an external thread and the counter element is designed as nut23which can be screwed onto the setscrew22until it is firmly seated. The control elements19project at a right angle from the mask12. The servo components18are not shown inFIG. 1so that only the holes21for fitting through corresponding setscrews, which are formed onto the servo components18, can be seen in the mask12. Depending on the setscrew design, the holes21have a circular or square and/or rectangular cross section. The electric adjuster outputs25are connected via respective electric signal lines26to the image generator16, such that they can transmit the information on the adjustment of servo components18to the image generator16. Based on the predetermined values, the image generation for the display fields13and the current information contained in these fields is then modified.