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WO1998001339A2 - Detecteur d'index d'afficheur avionique - Google Patents

Detecteur d'index d'afficheur avionique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1998001339A2
WO1998001339A2 PCT/US1997/010868 US9710868W WO9801339A2 WO 1998001339 A2 WO1998001339 A2 WO 1998001339A2 US 9710868 W US9710868 W US 9710868W WO 9801339 A2 WO9801339 A2 WO 9801339A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
indicator
signal
display
source
pickup
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1997/010868
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO1998001339A3 (fr
WO1998001339A9 (fr
Inventor
Charles K. Hanneman
Original Assignee
Alliedsignal Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US08/747,293 external-priority patent/US5999108A/en
Application filed by Alliedsignal Inc. filed Critical Alliedsignal Inc.
Publication of WO1998001339A2 publication Critical patent/WO1998001339A2/fr
Publication of WO1998001339A3 publication Critical patent/WO1998001339A3/fr
Publication of WO1998001339A9 publication Critical patent/WO1998001339A9/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
    • G01R7/00—Instruments capable of converting two or more currents or voltages into a single mechanical displacement
    • G01R7/04—Instruments capable of converting two or more currents or voltages into a single mechanical displacement for forming a quotient
    • G01R7/06—Instruments capable of converting two or more currents or voltages into a single mechanical displacement for forming a quotient moving-iron type

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to navigation displays for use in aircraft navigation systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a navigation display having an indicator position sensor.
  • Avionics displays must be precisely aligned and calibrated to insure accurate indication of the position, heading, glide slope or other navigational parameter of the aircraft.
  • the displays must also be mechanically, electrically, and magnetically linear.
  • 5 Avionics displays are typically aligned and calibrated during their manufacture. Unfortunately, the alignment and linearity of avionics displays can change over time due to many factors, resulting in inaccurate display readings.
  • Prior art avionics displays do not include systems for checking the alignment and linearity of the displays once they are installed in an aircraft. Thus, o pilots cannot accurately determine when a display's reading is inaccurate.
  • the present invention solves the above-described problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of avionics displays. More particularly, the present invention provides a display apparatus that can be easily and quickly aligned o and calibrated either during manufacture or after it has been installed.
  • the display apparatus of the present invention broadly includes a display including indicia representative of a measured parameter, an indicator shiftable relative to the display, and a control assembly for controlling the positioning of the indicator.
  • the control assembly includes processor means, indicator shifting 5 means, and indicator position sensing means.
  • the processor means receives a parameter signal from a navigation receiver or other parameter measuring device and generates a control signal representative of the parameter signal.
  • the indicator shifting means is coupled with the processor means for shifting the indicator relative to the display in response to the 0 control signal to indicate the measured parameter.
  • the indicator position sensing means senses the actual position of the indicator relative to the display, generates a position signal representative of this actual position, and transmits the position signal to the processor means.
  • the processor means compares the position signal to alignment information determined 5 during the initial calibration of the display apparatus to determine whether the indicator shifting means and the indicator are out of alignment. If they are out of alignment, the processor means uses the position signal to re-calibrate the display apparatus.
  • the indicator position sensing means includes a 0 source, a pickup, and an interrupting body.
  • the source and pickup pair are positioned in the path of travel of the indicator.
  • the source transmits a source signal, and the pickup receives the source signal and generates a corresponding position signal in response thereto.
  • the interrupting body is coupled for movement with the indicator and is positioned for passing between the source and the pickup when the indicator 5 sweeps across the display.
  • the interrupting body interrupts or changes the magnitude of the source signal received by the pickup and therefore alters the position signal generated by the pickup.
  • the interrupting body is configured to interrupt different amounts of the source signal as the indicator is shifted across the display. This changes the position signal as a function of the l o indicator position so that the exact position of the indicator relative to the display can be detected.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a display apparatus constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention
  • Fig. 2 is a graph illustrating sample indicator position signals generated by the indicator position sensing means of the display apparatus illustrated 20 in Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of a display apparatus constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 4 is a schematic front elevational view of the display apparatus illustrated in Fig. 3; and 25 Fig. 5 is a graph illustrating a sample indicator position signal generated by the indicator position sensing means of the display apparatus illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.
  • Display apparatus 10 constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 1.
  • Display apparatus 10 is preferably configured for use in an aircraft navigation system having a conventional aircraft navigation receiver 11 such as a VHF Omninavigation Receiver (VOR), Automatic Direction Finder (ADF), or Omni Bearing Selector (OBS) that is operable for receiving navigation signals from ground-based navigation transmitters.
  • the navigation signals may include position signals, heading signals, glide slope signals or other conventional signals.
  • display apparatus 10 may also be used in other parameter measuring systems having parameter measuring devices that generate parameter signals representative of a measured parameter.
  • Display apparatus 10 broadly includes display 12, indicator 13 shiftable relative to display 12, and control assembly broadly referred to by the numeral 14 for controlling the positioning of the indicator.
  • the components of display apparatus 10 are preferably housed within a plastic or other non-magnetic enclosure similar to those used for conventional avionics displays.
  • display 12 is conventional and includes indicia representative of the parameter measured by receiver 11 or other parameter measuring device.
  • display 12 may include indicia representative of the position, heading, or glide slope of an aircraft.
  • Indicator 13 is shiftably mounted relative to display 12 for indicating the measured parameter represented by the parameter signal.
  • Indicator 13 may be any conventional indicating device such as a pointer needle.
  • Indicator 13 may shift from side-to-side across display 12 or may be pivotally connected to the display to sweep across an arc on the display.
  • Control assembly 14 preferably includes microprocessor 16, stepper motor 18, and an indicator position sensor broadly referred to by the numeral 20.
  • the components of control assembly 14 are electrically coupled by conventional wiring illustrated by the dashed lines in Fig. 1 and may be housed within the same enclosure as the other components of display apparatus 10 or attached to a circuit board mounted adjacent the display apparatus.
  • Microprocessor 16 is coupled with navigation receiver 1 1 or a similar parameter measuring device. Microprocessor 16 receives the parameter signals generated by receiver 11 and converts the parameter signals to a control signal representative of the parameter signals for driving the stepper motor 18 as described below.
  • Microprocessor 16 is also coupled with indicator position sensor 20 for receiving indicator position signals from the sensor. Microprocessor 16 uses these indicator position signals for calibrating its control signal and stepper motor 18 as described below.
  • Microprocessor 16 may be any conventional processing device such as a Model No. MC68HC05B6 microprocessor manufactured by Motorola. As illustrated in Fig. 1, microprocessor 16 includes memory device 21 such as a conventional non-volatile solid-state memory chip for storing alignment and calibration information as discussed below.
  • Stepper motor 18 is operably coupled between indicator 13 and microprocessor 16 for driving the indicator in response to the control signal generated by the microprocessor. Stepper motor 18 receives the control signal and shifts indicator 13 relative to the display in response thereto to indicate the measured parameter. In preferred forms, stepper motor 18 is operably coupled with indicator
  • Stepper motor 18 may be any conventional stepper motor such as the
  • indicator 13 may also be shifted relative to display 12 by other conventional shifting devices such as a
  • Indicator position sensor 20 senses the actual position of indicator 13 relative to display 12 and generates an indicator position signal representative of this actual position. Sensor 20 transmits the position signal to microprocessor 16, which uses the position signal to determine whether stepper motor 18 and indicator 13 are out of alignment and to calibrate the stepper motor if they are.
  • the preferred indicator position sensor 20 includes source 22, pickup
  • Source 22 is preferably a conventional optical or infrared transmitter operable for transmitting an optical or infrared source signal.
  • Pickup 24 is preferably a corresponding optical or infrared receiver operable for receiving the optical or infrared source signal and for generating the indicator position signal in response thereto.
  • source 22 may be a conventional magnet that emits a magnetic field
  • pickup 24 may be a Hall -effect type magnetic receiver that senses the magnetic field and generates the indicator position signal in response thereto.
  • Source 22 and pickup 24 may also be replaced with a mechanical position sensing device. 0 Source 22 and pickup 24 are positioned within the path of travel of indicator 13 and are spaced a short distance from one another. Source 22 transmits the source signal in the direction of pickup 24, and pickup 24 normally receives the source signal and generates the indicator position signal in response thereto. Display apparatus 10 may include a plurality of sources and pickups placed at several 5 locations along the path of travel of indicator 13 for sensing the actual position of indicator 13 as it passes these locations.
  • Interrupting body 26 is coupled for movement with indicator 13 and is positioned for passing between source 22 and pickup 24 when indicator 13 sweeps across display 12. Interrupting body 26 interrupts or changes the magnitude of the o source signal received by pickup 24 and therefore alters the indicator position signal generated by the pickup.
  • interrupting body 26 is preferably an opaque shield attached near the center of indicator 13 and configured for passing between source 22 and pickup 24 as 5 indicator 13 passes thereby. When interrupting body 26 passes between source 22 and pickup 24, it blocks the optical or infrared source signal and temporarily changes the indicator position signal generated by the pickup.
  • interrupting body 26 is preferably a metallic body configured to change the 0 characteristics of the magnetic field sensed by the pickup as it passes between the source and pickup.
  • the microprocessor determines the actual position of indicator 1 by analyzing the magnitude or other characteristic of the position signal. For example, if interrupting body 26 is centered between source 22 and pickup 24, it will 5 block or interrupt most or all of the source signal received by the pickup. As a result, pickup 24 will generate an indicator position signal of low or no magnitude.
  • Microprocessor 16 determines from this position signal that indicator 13 is between source 22 and pickup 24. Microprocessor 16 uses this information to calibrate indicator 13 and stepper motor 18 as described in more detail below.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates sample indicator position signals generated by pickup
  • Signal 28 is a digital signal that drops to "0" or logic-low whenever interrupting body 26 passes between source 22 and pickup 24.
  • Signal 30 is an analog signal that gradually drops as interrupting body 26 passes between source 22 and pickup 24.
  • indicator 0 position sensor 20 and microprocessor 16 cooperate to determine the position of indicator 13 as it passes the center of display 12 without placing source 22 and pickup 24 at the exact center position of display 12.
  • source 22 and pickup 24 can be placed anywhere within the path of travel of indicator 13. The distance between the source 22 and 5 pickup 24 and the mid-point of display 12 is then measured by conventional means. This measurement is stored as an offset value in memory 21 of microprocessor 16. Then, when microprocessor 16 receives the indicator position signal from pickup 24, it adds or subtracts the offset value from the position signal to account for the displacement of the source 22 and pickup 24 from the center of display 12. o Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a second and preferred embodiment of display
  • interrupting body 26a is configured to interrupt different amounts of the source signal as indicator 13a is shifted across display 12a. This permits indicator position sensor 20a to sense the exact position of indicator 13a at all points across display 12a with a single source 22a and pickup 24a pair.
  • interrupting body 26a is preferably a 5 partially opaque, wedge-shaped shield that extends across substantially the entire width of display 12a.
  • Body 26a presents a pair of converging sidewalls 30a, 32a and an interconnecting arcuate edge 34a.
  • arcuate edge 34a tapers from sidewall 30a to sidewall 32a as illustrated in Fig. 5.
  • arcuate edge 34a is ⁇ o approximately 1/32" thick at sidewall 30a and approximately 1/10" thick at sidewall
  • the mid-point of arcuate edge 34a includes a small hollow notch 36a formed therein.
  • Interrupting body 26a is operably coupled with the drive shaft of stepper motor 18a or the gear train driven by the drive shaft so that it pivots or shifts 15 about the same axis as indicator 13a.
  • indicator 13a shifts across the upper portion of display 12a and body 26a shifts across the lower portion of display 12a.
  • Body 26a may also be placed under display 12a so that it is hidden from view.
  • Source 22a and pickup 24a are positioned on opposite sides of body 20 26a so that body 26a passes between the source and pickup. As stepper motor 18a shifts indicator 13a and body 26a, different portions of body 26a are positioned between source 22a and pickup 24a.
  • stepper motor 18a pivots or shifts indicator 13a to its left-most position as indicated by arrow 36a in Fig. 3, it shifts body 26a to the 25 right so that the portion of arcuate edge 34a near sidewall 30a is to the right of and not between source 22a and pickup 24a.
  • body 26a does not block any of the source signal transmitted by source 22a, and pickup 24a generates a maximum indicator position signal.
  • This portion of the indicator position signal which is illustrated by the numeral 38a in Fig. 5, corresponds to the left-most position of 30 indicator 13a relative to display 12a.
  • stepper motor 18a shifts indicator 13a slightly to the right as viewed from Fig.
  • stepper motor 18a continues to shift indicator 13a to the right, it also continues to shift body 26a to the left so that the portion of arcuate edge 34a between source 22a and pickup 24a becomes progressively thinner.
  • body 10 26a blocks less of the source signal, and pickup 24a generates a progressively larger indicator position signal.
  • This portion of the indicator position signal is illustrated by the numeral 42a in Fig. 5.
  • stepper motor 18a shifts indicator 13a and body 26a to the midpoint of display 12a as illustrated in Fig. 3, notch 36a is positioned between source 15 22a and pickup 24a. Notch 36a blocks none of the source signal; therefore, pickup 24a once again generates a maximum indicator position signal.
  • This portion of the indicator position signal which is illustrated by the numeral 44a in Fig. 5, corresponds to the center position of indicator 13a relative to display 12a.
  • stepper motor 18a continues to shift indicator 13a to the right as 20 indicated by arrow 37a in Fig. 5, it also continues to shift body 26a to the left so that the portion of arcuate edge 34a between notch 36a and sidewall 32a once again blocks a portion of the source signal.
  • pickup 24a once again generates a smaller position indication signal as illustrated by the numeral 46a in Fig. 5.
  • arcuate edge 34a is thinner near sidewall 32a than it is near sidewall 30a, the 25 46a portion of the signal is greater than the 42a portion of the signal.
  • stepper motor 18a shifts indicator 13a to its right-most position as viewed from Fig. 3, it shifts body 26a completely to the left so that the portion of arcuate edge 34a next to sidewall 32a is to the left of and not between source 22a and pickup 24a.
  • body 26a does not block any of the source signal 30 transmitted by source 22a, and pickup 24a generates a maximum indicator position signal.
  • This portion of the indicator position signal which is illustrated by the numeral 48a in Fig. 5, corresponds to the right-most position of indicator 13a relative to display 12a.
  • indicator position sensor 20a and microprocessor 16a cooperate to locate the exact position of indicator 13a at all 5 points across display 12a with a single source 22a and pickup 24a pair. Moreover, since the indicator position signal is at its maximum at the center, left and right edges of display 12a, these crucial indicator locations can be determined more accurately.
  • pickup 24,24a continually transmits its indicator position signal to microprocessor 16,16a while stepper motor
  • microprocessor 16,16a receives the indicator position signal and uses the signal to calibrate the control signal that it generates and transmits to stepper motor 18,18a.
  • step counts of stepper motor 18, 18a that correspond to critical deflection points of indicator 13, 13a
  • step count 10 corresponds to the left-most deflection point of indicator 13,13a
  • step count 30 corresponds to the center or zero deflection of indicator 13,13a
  • step count 50 corresponds to the right-most deflection point of indicator 13,13a.
  • step counts are stored in microprocessor 16,16a or memory
  • microprocessor 16,16a uses 21,21a and used to control stepper motor 18,18a when microprocessor 16,16a receives a navigation signal from receiver 11 or other device. For example, if microprocessor 16,16a receives a navigation signal that corresponds to the left-most deflection point of indicator 13,13a, microprocessor 16,16a directs stepper motor
  • the alignment or linearity of display apparatus 10,10a may change.
  • the left-most, center and right-most deflection points of indicator 13,13a may change to step counts of 12,32, and 52, respectively.
  • Indicator position sensor 20,20a senses these changes by sensing when indicator 13,13a
  • Step 30 actually passes the left-most, center, and right-most points on display 12,12a.
  • Pickup 24a then sends corresponding indicator position signals to microprocessor 16, 16a representative of these indicator positions.
  • Microprocessor 16,16a determines what step count of stepper motor 18, 18a is on when indicator 13,13a is at these deflection points and compares these step counts to the step counts previously determined during initial calibration. If the new step counts are different, microprocessor 16, 16a calibrates stepper motor 18, 18a by replacing its previously stored step count numbers with these new step count numbers.
  • microprocessor 16,16a receives a navigation signal that corresponds to the left-most, center, or right-most deflection point of indicator 13,13a, it directs stepper motor 18,18a to shift to a step count of 12,32, or 52, respectively.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Indication And Recording Devices For Special Purposes And Tariff Metering Devices (AREA)
  • Optical Transform (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un équipement d'affichage (10) pourvu d'un afficheur (12) présentant des graduations caractéristiques d'un paramètre de mesure, d'un indicateur (13) translatable par rapport à l'afficheur, et d'une unité de commande (14) permettant de commander le positionnement de l'indicateur par rapport à l'afficheur. L'unité de commande intègre, d'une part un microprocesseur (16) capable de prendre en compte des signaux de navigation et de convertir ces signaux de navigation en signaux de commande, et d'autre part, d'un moteur pas-à-pas (18) réagissant au microprocesseur de façon à actionner l'indicateur en fonction des signaux de commande. L'unité de commande intègre également un détecteur de position (20) de l'indicateur permettant de déterminer la position actuelle de l'indicateur de l'afficheur et de générer des signaux de position caractéristiques de sa position actuelle. Le microprocesseur se sert de ces signaux de position pour le calibrage du moteur pas-à-pas.
PCT/US1997/010868 1996-07-05 1997-07-03 Detecteur d'index d'afficheur avionique WO1998001339A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US2248696P 1996-07-05 1996-07-05
US60/022,486 1996-07-05
US08/747,293 1996-11-12
US08/747,293 US5999108A (en) 1996-07-18 1996-11-12 Avionics display pointer sensor

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1998001339A2 true WO1998001339A2 (fr) 1998-01-15
WO1998001339A3 WO1998001339A3 (fr) 1998-03-19
WO1998001339A9 WO1998001339A9 (fr) 1998-07-16

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Family Applications (1)

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PCT/US1997/010868 WO1998001339A2 (fr) 1996-07-05 1997-07-03 Detecteur d'index d'afficheur avionique

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WO (1) WO1998001339A2 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2462162A (en) * 2008-08-01 2010-02-03 Samsung Digital Imaging Co Ltd Indicator display device which monitors the position of the indicator

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2173898A (en) * 1983-04-26 1986-10-22 Central Electr Generat Board Apparatus for optically measuring a displacement
DE4026915A1 (de) * 1990-08-25 1992-02-27 Vdo Schindling Anzeigevorrichtung mit schrittmotor
JPH04240521A (ja) * 1991-01-25 1992-08-27 Canon Inc 光学式エンコーダ
US5438172A (en) * 1993-08-16 1995-08-01 Ford Motor Company Zero backlash position encoder
JP2982996B2 (ja) * 1994-07-07 1999-11-29 矢崎総業株式会社 針式表示装置

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2462162A (en) * 2008-08-01 2010-02-03 Samsung Digital Imaging Co Ltd Indicator display device which monitors the position of the indicator
US8033238B2 (en) 2008-08-01 2011-10-11 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Indicator display device
GB2462162B (en) * 2008-08-01 2012-06-27 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Indicator display device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1998001339A3 (fr) 1998-03-19

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