KEYWORDS: Cockpit displays, Analog electronics, Astronomical engineering, Sensors, Video, Error control coding, Data conversion, Field programmable gate arrays, Lab on a chip, Visualization
When a cockpit display is squawked by the pilot due to an observed problem, the normal maintenance action that follows is to replace the display. It is often found that the replaced display shows the same problem and the source of the problem is elsewhere in the system. This paper discusses a unique feature as part of the display architecture currently used by Astronautics, which uses the display to indicate to the maintenance technician, while on the aircraft, if there is a system problem. This greatly reduces maintenance times due to unnecessary display replacements.
Conventional bezel switches rely on mechanical contacts. This paper describes a novel technology using high frequency trapped mechanical vibrations to sense switch action with no moving parts. This technology provides robust switch activation and a high level of environmental immunity (both electrical and mechanical).
The signal processing scheme recognizes if a switch has failed or is about to fail, and can move switch functions in a pre-determined manner to other switch positions on the bezel. The result is a "smart bezel" with not only higher reliability over mechanical switches, but with the ability to greatly improve overall system reliability as well as support on-board maintenance by five times, reduce the maintenance costs by 50% and repair costs by 90%, thereby providing substantial savings to the Navy in T-45 multi-functional display Life Cycle Costs.
The resulting system architecture as explained in this paper is used in conjunction with a "smart display" to fully realize the advantages of this technology.
This new bezel technology has recently been flight qualified in a military aircraft.
Currently deployed conventional flat panel AMLCD displays employ fluorescent lamp backlights to achieve the required lighting levels for cockpits in high performance aircraft. Advances have been made in backlighting technology by replacing fluorescent lamps with high performance LEDs. However, these new LED-based backlights are lacking in control of color and luminance intensity especially when related to NVIS requirements in a cockpit. This paper describes a unique integration of LED, electronic, and optical components to meet the requirements of high performance aircraft over their extreme range of operating environments. The LED-based backlight utilizes state-of-art components to enable daylight, night, and NVIS requirements to be implemented in a simple cost-effective package. The performance results presented highlight the advantages of this new design when compared to currently available backlighting designs. Techniques as described in section 2 of this paper are covered under patent application to the US and International Patent Offices.
KEYWORDS: Interfaces, Defense technologies, Video, Cockpit displays, Operating systems, Digital video discs, Light sources and illumination, Optical sensors, Military display technology, Avionic systems
Converting the pilot's flight bag information from paper to electronic media is being performed routinely by commercial airlines for use with an on-board PC. This concept is now being further advanced with a new class of electronic flight bags (EFB) recently put into commercial operation which interface directly with major on-board avionics systems and has its own dedicated panel mounted display. This display combines flight bag information with real time aircraft performance and maintenance data. This concept of an integrated EFB which is now being used by the commercial airlines as a level 1 certified system, needs to be explored for military applications. This paper describes a system which contains all the attributes of an Electronic Flight Bag with the addition of interfaces which are linked to military aircraft missions such as those for tankers, cargo haulers, search and rescue and maritime aircraft as well as GATM requirements. The adaptation of the integrated EFB to meet these military requirements is then discussed.
KEYWORDS: Video, Video processing, Analog electronics, RGB color model, Digital video discs, Visualization, Computing systems, Sensors, Reliability, Cockpit displays
In the past, cockpit displays have had a limited role in that they were capable only of displaying information that was generated by other equipmentin the aircraft. Examples of this can be seen when we look at system architectures consisting of separate mission computers, map generators, engine data generators, and air data computers. These individual boxes take sensor information and perform the computations which feed the displays. With the advent of new technology offering super miniature, high speed components, potentially all processing can now be accomplished within the displays themselves while also allowing for a wide range of interfaces. In aircraft applications, this allows an architecture whereby the remote sensors feed directly into the displays, thus greatly reducing cabling requirements, reducing weight as well as reducing overall cost due to reduction in the number of boxes. System reliability is also greatly improved due to redundancy of functions between multiple displays in the aircraft. This paper discusses such an application and describes a display designed for aircraft fighter applications containing multiple processing capability. New system architecture is described which takes advantage of this capability.
KEYWORDS: Video surveillance, Information security, Video, Cockpit displays, Acquisition tracking and pointing, Astronomical engineering, Surveillance, Safety, Associative arrays, Computing systems
Since the beginning of flight, pilots have found the necessity to have paper information at their side ranging from basic navigation charts in the early days, to the massive amount of aircraft performance data, checklists, weather advisories, etc. which they now carry. This has resulted in the familiar flight bag carried by pilots to perform these tasks. With the advent of electronic data now easily available, the concept of a paperless cockpit becomes a reality. Further, once having a display in the cockpit which provides this information, and one that is separate from the primary flight instruments, a host of additional information can be provided which not only gives access to data previously carried in the flight bag, but also can provide real time weather information, airport mapping for runway incursion prevention and other information as required by the FAA. Also a major function which is now of great importance is the capability to provide a display for cabin surveillance in conjunction with an aircraft security system. This paper describes a Pilot Information Display (PID) which performs all these functions that are a necessary adjunct to the modern aircraft cockpit.
Electromechanical flight instruments have been used in aircraft from the earliest days of flight. They have served well in providing very adequate flight information to the pilot to maintain control during all phases of flight. The sensors, which have provided the basic inputs, have been analog so there has been complete compatibility between sensor and display. For many current flight regimes the analog sensors are still very adequate, however new flight restrictions by the FAA and a host of additional flight aids which are digital in nature require more sophisticated displays. These displays in the case of aircraft upgrades must function not only with analog sensor inputs, but also with a variety of digital inputs. Flat panel display technology has evolved where it is capable of providing the variety of information needed in the new cockpit environments. However, where upgrades of existing aircraft are required, these displays must be uniquely designed to handle both conventional analog sensor inputs in combination with new digital systems. This paper describes the problems encountered and the approach taken to provide flat panel displays, which meet both criteria.
Active Matrix, Liquid Crystal Displays (AMLCD) are being used extensively in severe environments which require a wide range of optical performance. Conditions vary from high performance military aircraft to rugged use on the ground in both military and commercial vehicle environments. Not only are these displays being exposed to high ambient temperatures, shock and vibration, but also the requirement for readability in direct sunlight imposes conditions where backlight brightness must be greatly increased, imposing added thermal requirements. This paper discusses a fluid immersion, liquid cooling technique that allows great increases in backlight brightness with major improvement in thermal efficiency of the display. Improvements in susceptibility to shock and vibration can also be deduced from the use of this methodology. A prototype has been developed and is described in this paper and results compared to a conventionally cooled unit. A number of other advantages, which result from liquid immersion, are also discussed.
It has been demonstrated that commercial glass panels have an extremely wide range of applications. Previous papers have shown commercial glass panel applications as diverse as a city bus, an army howitzer and a commercial airliner. This paper shows how an aircraft such as the Navy developed P-3, as used by the US Customs Service, will eliminate its traditional electromechanical flight instruments and employ 6 X 8 commercial glass panels to totally modify its cockpit. These displays will perform all flight instrument functions; provide navigation and radar information for both pilot and copilot. This paper discusses the challenges of using commercial glass in such an application. The aircraft environment and the cockpit geometry are discussed as well as the requirements of optical performance that are placed upon the commercial glass. These requirements are then compared to the glass manufacturer's original specifications. Expected results from flight-testing are then provided.
Electromechanical flight instruments in military aircraft are being replaced by flat panels. One of the reasons often stated is to improve reliability. This paper discusses a project initiated several years ago to design, develop, qualify, manufacture and flight test an electromechanical Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) designed for high reliability for the F-15 aircraft. This indicator was to have a guaranteed Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of 10,000 hours minimum. This paper discuses the results of this project after completing development, qualification testing, manufacture and several years of operational flights on 2 squadrons of F-15 aircraft. The results will be compared to experience gained in flying flat panel displays in a commercial jet aircraft. The comparison shows that the electromechanical flight instrument as designed, demonstrates a reliability equal to or greatly exceeding that of current flat panel displays. Most electromechanical flight instruments in use today were designed and manufactured 25 to 30 years ago. Their intended useful life, by specification, was 10 years with an MTBF requirement of approximately 1,000 hours. It is shown that the specification requirements for useful life as well as reliability requirements can be greatly expanded for electromechanical flight instruments to equal or exceed that of flat panel displays. This paper describes some of the design techniques and test methods used which have achieved such high reliability of the electromechanical HSI in an F-15 environment. A case is thus presented for the continued application of high reliability electromechanical instruments in certain cockpit applications with many benefits to the user.
This paper describes the application of commercially available, active matrix liquid crystal panels to a wide variety of environments both commercial and military. Such environments include the dashboard of a city transportation bus and agricultural vehicle, the cockpit of a commercial jet airliner, and hard mounted on a howitzer field artillery piece. Each environment will be discussed and then a comparison will be made between the environments and how they relate to the display design. The application of finite element analysis to the design methodology will also be discussed. Test results will then be presented for the various applications as well as results of usage in the field. Design techniques of ruggedization for utilization of the same panels in other severe environments such as Army tanks will also be discussed.
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