Patent GB-1117272-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to display systems
IPC: G01S19/51
Filed: 1965-06-28
Abstract: 1,117,272. Aircraft instruments. KAISER AEROSPACE & ELECTRONICS CORPORATION. 28 June, 1965 [29 June, 1964], No. 27302/65. Heading B7W. [Also in Division H4]. In an electrically operated display system for a mobile unit a visual indication simulating a path is produced on a display screen under the control of a path generator circuit provided with control means which, in response to the output of computer means fed with signals from first and second sources representative, respectively, of deviations of the unit relative to a selected heading and relative to a selected track, produces a variation in the simulated path display comprising heading information which, if followed, would cause the mobile unit to travel in a crabbing mode to a selected destination. The invention is described in connection with a display system mounted in an aircraft but it is stated that the equipment has similar use in other applications including ships and space equipment &c. As shown (Figs. 1 and 2) the display screen comprises a T.V. (cathode-ray tube) monitor 20 on which, firstly, is produced a display termed a " contact analog presentation ". This, which is produced under the control of known generator means 18<SP>1</SP> (as described in Specification 921,528) comprises a stylized picture of the real world including ground texture 10 on a ground plane 11 and a sky plane 12 separated from the ground plane 11 by a horizon line 14, the vertical position of the latter being controlled by a gyro horizon 48 whilst its inclination is controlled by a roll sensor 49 which rotates the scanning yoke of the tube so that the line 14 rotates about its central point at which a fixed reference reticle 19 is positioned. A roll pointer and scale may also be provided. Additionally, the ground texture symbols, which emanate from line 14 and move towards the lower marginal edge of the display at a rate related to aircraft speed are displaced laterally with changes in heading, change in perspective with changes in pitch and change in size with changes in altitude. Other symbols, pitch lines and cues are also provided on this display. Secondly, there is produced under the control of a generator 18 a display comprising a wedge shaped flight-path 16 which in the simplified form shown is defined by two intersecting lines but which may consist of a plurality of parallel horizontal lines successive ones of which are of decreasing length towards the reticle 19. The display may be operated in various modes selected by a switch 22 (see also Fig. 2A) which comprises a multi-level switch only certain ones of the contacts of which are shown. In the CA position (contacts 60 closed) operating potential 28v, 400 is applied, via a separate switch 76, to the contact analog display generator 18 (which then produces the display controlled in accordance with the aircraft motion as described above), the contacts 60 remaining closed in each of the subsequent positions of the switch and in the next position the closing of contacts 61, which also remain closed in subsequent positions, supplies operating potential to the flight path generator 18 to produce the simulated path defined by the intersecting lines 16. In the subsequent positions of switch 22 the various modes of operation are indicated by illuminated panels 28, 30, 32, 34 and 36 at the bottom of the display screen (Fig. 1). In the first of these latter positions, termed " COMPASS MODE ", the switch 22 is set to COMP and effects via contacts MS4, the connection of signals derived from the gyro compass 40 via a circuit 40<SP>1</SP> to a circuit 41 (both detailed in Fig. 6) termed PATH FAR END CONTROL, the output of which is connected via the contacts 62 to the A input of the flight path generator 18. This results, when the compass is engaged by operation of a compass engage switch CES 24, in lateral movement of the far end (apex) of the flight path with respect to the on-course position set by reticule 19 with changes in the heading of the aircraft. If, however, the compass is not engaged by operation of switch CES 24, A FAR END PATH BLANKING circuit 67<SP>1</SP> in response to the absence of a voltage input from CES 24 operates to blank the apex of the flight path to produce a truncated effect and thus prevent the pilot from placing false reliance on a path which is not compass controlled. Fig. 6 shows the compass control circuitry including the compass 40 which is normally energized by the 28v 400 cycle output of the aircraft supply. When the compass engaging switch 24 is operated it connects a 12v. D.C. supply to the compass (also disabling the far end path blanking generator 67<SP>1</SP>) and the compass then provides output AC voltages of the order of 2v. which vary differentially in amplitude on outputs 50, 52 (with respect to output 51) as the heading of the aircraft varies. These output voltages are fed to voltage-doubling clamping circuitscapacitors 90, 92 and diodes 93, 94<SP>1</SP> (so that the amount of subsequent amplification required is reduced) and after rectification by diodes 104, 105 and summing via resistors 94, 96, provide an input signal for a differential amplifier 81 having an amplitude depending on the magnitude of the heading error and a polarity depending on the direction of such error. The output of amplifier 81 comprising transistors 110, 118, which may be adjusted by potentiometer 136 connected to a constant current source 124 to vary the position of the track apex with respect to the reticule 19 (PATH FAR END CONTROL), is supplied via push-pull emitter followers 140, 146 to control the intensity of illumination of lamps 160, 180, which, with associated respective photoresistors 162, 182, form electronic potentiometers operating to control the amplitude of oppositely poled sawtooth waves derived from the flight path generator 18 (Fig. 1), and to provide an output sawtooth on conductor 168 which controls the horizontal position of the path apex with respect to reticule 19 automatically in accordance with variations in the aircraft heading with respect to the selected heading i.e. the actual compass heading when switch CES 24 is operated (Figs. 6A to 6L, not shown). A curved flight path may be produced by connecting a suitable capacitor in series with the sawtooth input to the circuit of Fig. 6 to differentiate such sawtooth and thereby provide a non-linear waveform (Figs. 6M to 6P, not shown). In the next position of switch SW 22 the " Omni Mode " signals derived from the Omni receiver 42, when tuned to a desired station, are supplied, inter alia, via contacts 63 to the display which initially takes the form shown in Fig. 7A where the symbol 190 is the " TO ", "FROM" " indicator and the flight path 16 is truncated by the Far End Blanking circuit 67 since the compass is not in circuit. In operation, the course select control on receiver 42 is adjusted to bring the near end of path 16 to the centre of the display (Fig. 7B), the position of symbol 190 in this case indicating that the aircraft is on a course directed towards the desired omni-station (as opposed to Fig. 7D which shows the symbol position indicative of a course directed away from such station). The direction of the aircraft is then adjusted until the heading of compass 40 is the same as the bearing shown on the course selection dial of receiver 42 and the compass engage switch 24 operated so that the blanking circuit 67 is disabled and the display shown in Fig. 7C produced. Heading error is then indicated by a horizontal shift of the path apex relative to reticle 19 and ground track error by a horizontal shift in the path near end position-the ground track information being obtained from the omni receiver 42 (Figs. 8A-8F, not shown). As the safety precaution, loss of far end or near end signals, or the reception of such signals too weak to be safely used, results in the blanking of the corresponding portion of the path. The omni signal derivation circuit 42<SP>1</SP> and the Path Near End Control circuit 47 are generally similar to the Compass Derivation Circuit 40 and the Path Far End Control circuit 41 of Fig. 6, the arrangement including a Path Near End Centering control and operating to provide a sawtooth wave output determining the Near End position (Figs. 10 and 10A- 10I, not shown). The " To-From " symbol, which is generated electronically, comprises a white square of approximately  inch side located on the centre line of the flight path in a vertical position indicative of To or From in accordance with signals received by the omni receiver. Additionally, a circuit, termed a Blinker, is provided which causes the size of the symbol to vary rapidly when the aircraft is passing over, or when it is out of range of, the omni station or when the signal is lost due to equipment failure (Figs. 11, 11A and 1IB, not shown). In the next position of switch SW 22, the " ILS " (Instrument Landing System) mode, the output of the glide slope receiver 45 (Fig. 2) is fed to a signal circuit 45<SP>1</SP> (Fig. 12, not shown) providing an output sawtooth wave the amplitude and polarity of which, are dependent on the input signal. This sawtooth is connected via contacts 64 to the B input of the flight path generator 18 and controls the path width at the near end as a function of glide slope error. In addition, the Path Near End circuit 47 (also Fig. 10, not shown) operates to adjust the near end of the flight path display in accordance with ground track information obtained from the ground ILS localizer equipment and if desired, the far end of the path may also be controlled by the circuit 41 by engaging the compass switch CES 24. Glide slope markers comprising short vertical bar symbols are produced near the bottom of the display by means of a circuit 71, termed a Path Altitude Marker generator, which is stated to be similar to the To-From symbol generator of Fig. 11 (not shown), which controls the m