Combiner assemblies

Details Combiner assemblies Combiner assemblies

2000-06-19

2001-10-09

Epps, Georgia (Department: 2873)

Optical: systems and elements

Single channel simultaneously to or from plural channels

By partial reflection at beam splitting or combining surface

C345S007000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06301053

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to combiner assemblies having a combiner through which a user views an outside scene overlaid with a projected image. Such combiner assemblies can be used in head up displays.
FIG. 1
illustrates a typical combiner assembly
10
used in a head up display, which comprises an optical combiner
11
mounted to a housing
12
which is arranged for mounting to a roof structure
13
of a flight deck of an aircraft. The combiner assembly
10
comprises a semi-reflective surface and is arranged to present flight, navigation, guidance and other information to a user who views an outside scene through the optical combiner
11
. This is accomplished by projecting images from a display forming section
14
, typically comprising a cathode ray tube, onto the semi-reflective surface which is arranged to allow the user to view the outside scene through the optical combiner
11
and to reflect the images from the display forming section
14
along a sight line of the user. The image conveyed to the user is collimated and conformal such that the user views the outside scene overlaid with the projected images. Typically, the optical combiner
11
is pivotally mounted, not illustrated, to the housing
12
such that the optical combiner
11
can be moved from a stowed position above the user's head to a deployed position in front of the user and coincident with the user's sight line.
However, if the optical combiner
11
is not properly secured in the stowed position it may rotate from its position such that it interferes with the user's vision, or worse, impacts the user's head. Furthermore, should the user move forward while the optical combiner
11
is in the deployed position, perhaps due to the aircraft flying into turbulent air, and impacts the optical combiner
11
then this could interfere with the safe and proper handling of the aircraft.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a combiner assembly which obviates or mitigates the problems associated with the prior art.
According to the present invention, a combiner assembly comprises an optical combiner, a housing and a mounting assembly arranged to connect the optical combiner to the housing, wherein the optical combiner is arranged to rotate around the housing and the mean distance between the combiner and the housing varies with the angular rotation of the combiner around the housing.
In this manner, the optical combiner rotates around the housing such that it traverses a path wherein the mean distance between the optical combiner and the housing varies as the optical combiner rotates from a stowed position to a deployed position, through which the user can view a scene, and from the deployed position back to the stowed position, thereby reducing the risk of the combiner coming into contact with the user as the combiner moves to or from the stowed position.
Preferably, the mounting assembly may comprise a first arm pivotally mounted at one end to the optical combiner at a first pivot point and pivotally mounted at the other end to the housing at a second pivot point to provide rotational movement of the optical combiner around the housing, a second arm pivotally mounted at one end to the optical combiner at a third pivot point and pivotally mounted at the other end to the housing at a fourth pivot point to provide rotational movement of the optical combiner around the housing and the first and second arms are positioned in a non-parallel arrangement.
In this manner, the optical combiner rotates around the pivot points such that its tip, that end remote to the first and third pivot points, traverses a path wherein the mean distance between the optical combiner and the housing varies as the optical combiner rotates from a stowed position to a deployed position, through which the user can view a scene, and from the deployed position back to the stowed position.
At least one of the arms may be arranged to be adjustable in length to facilitate setting the angular position of the optical combiner.
Preferably, the optical combiner may be arranged to move between stowed and deployed positions and the pivot points are arranged so that the optical combiner traverses a locus, wherein on at least one point of the locus the optical combiner is located closer to the housing than the optical combiner is when located in either the stowed or deployed positions.
The pivot points may be arranged to allow the optical combiner to rotate down into the deployed position at which point the user views the scene. Preferably, the pivots may be arranged to allow the optical combiner to rotate past the deployed position to a further position thereby to allow a degree of movement for the optical combiner should a user impact the optical combiner. The second arm may be a strut comprising a spring arranged to allow the optical combiner to rotate past the further position thereby to allow a further degree of movement for the optical combiner should a user impact the optical combiner.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4664475 (1987-05-01), Ferrer
patent: 5381267 (1995-01-01), Woody
patent: 5517337 (1996-05-01), Dupin et al.
patent: 6072444 (2000-06-01), Burns
patent: 6078428 (2000-06-01), Rembert et al.
patent: 1132769 (1968-11-01), None
patent: 2 179 716 A (1987-03-01), None

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