Communications: electrical – Aircraft alarm or indicating systems – Flight alarm
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-13
2001-05-15
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Aircraft alarm or indicating systems
Flight alarm
C340S977000, C701S004000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06232890
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combined altitude and height-above-ground indicator for an aircraft.
Although not exclusively, it is more particularly suited to helicopters liable to travel at low or very low heights above the ground.
2. Description of Related Art
Present-day altimeters present altitude information which simply shows a flying level given with respect to a fixed reference updated by the pilot. Furthermore, the height of the aircraft above the ground being overflown, measured by a radio altimeter, has to be consulted from another device, which has a different layout and a different origin. The altitude information and the height-above-ground information are therefore currently shown on two physically separate indicators which have different resolutions and different references even though they deal with the same physical parameters. These two items of information need to be monitored and correlated with one another during some phases of flight, and this leads to a heavy workload for the pilot.
However, American Patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,077 describes a combined indicator comprising:
a first sensor and a second sensor which respectively sense altitude and height above ground;
means of processing the measurements supplied by said first and second sensors; and
means of displaying two types of information delivered by said processing means by superimposing said two items of information on the same scale against a pointer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to improve such a combined indicator to allow the altitude and the height of the aircraft to be displayed simultaneously.
To this end, in the combined indicator in accordance with the present invention, said scale comprises a transparent first part which represents a pressure-altitude display and a second part which is a mask positioned under said first part so that it masks the background of the indicator for altitude levels which are below the measured height above ground.
Thus, the invention makes it possible to show, on a single indicator, with the same reference, the information regarding the pressure altitude and the information regarding the height above the ground being overflown. This indicator allows the pilot monitoring the flight altitude of the aircraft also to see how much height remains between the aircraft and the ground when this ground is approaching. The pilot can thus see the ground “rise up” toward the current-altitude pointer on the altimetric scale and is thus alerted to an excessive decrease in his height: he can therefore control his height using the indicator of the invention.
Advantageously, said mask is secured, at its free end, to a mask which denotes proximity to the ground.
According to another feature of the invention, said scale is a graduated vertical linear scale, the first part of which constitutes a strip scrolling past a stationary pointer.
Said scale may also be a circular scale comprising, as its first part, a moving graduated disk rotating past a stationary pointer
In the latter two cases, there may be a window, the size of which is smaller than the altitude range shown by said first part and through which a portion of the latter can be seen.
According to yet another feature of the invention, said scale is a circular scale, comprising, as its first part, a stationary graduated disk and a moving pointer.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3580080 (1971-05-01), Perkins
patent: 3595077 (1971-07-01), Perkins
patent: 3890614 (1975-06-01), Argentieri et al.
patent: 3936797 (1976-02-01), Andresen, Jr.
patent: 4860007 (1989-08-01), Konicke et al.
patent: 5136301 (1992-08-01), Bechtold et al.
patent: 2273260 (1975-12-01), None
patent: 2372417 (1978-06-01), None
patent: 2409489 (1979-06-01), None
Astruc Joel Christian Roger
Berlioz Raymond Jacques Gerard
Saintagne Vincent Frederic
Eurocopter
Stevens Davis Miller & Mosher L.L.P.
Swarthout Brent A.
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