Active HUD Boresight Alignment via Dynamic Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
The alignment of Heads-Up Displays (HUDs) in aircraft is challenging due to aircraft boresight misalignment caused by structural distortions like nose droop, requiring complex and time-consuming hardpoint installation processes and inaccurate boresighting, which affects the precision of superimposed information display.
Innovation Solution
An active HUD boresight alignment system that includes an aircraft Inertial Reference Unit (IRU), a HUD angular orientation detector, and a processor to determine and correct boresight angular offsets between the HUD and aircraft boresights, ensuring accurate alignment and compensation for structural deformations during flight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If predetermined passive nose droop compensation is used, then HUD alignment is corrected for one flight condition, but HUD becomes misaligned in other flight conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static predetermined compensation to dynamic active compensation. The HUD boresight alignment system continuously measures the actual angular offset between HUD and aircraft reference using sensors during flight, and dynamically adjusts the alignment parameters in real-time based on measured structural deformations, enabling adaptation to varying flight conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously measuring the actual boresight angular offset during flight using angular offset sensors, comparing it with the predetermined compensation values, and using this feedback information to correct alignment errors and maintain accuracy across different flight conditions
2Manufacturing precision
If complex hardpoint installation tooling is used, then HUD alignment precision is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service alignment by equipping the HUD with onboard sensors that automatically measure and determine the actual boresight angular offset during flight operations, eliminating the need for external complex alignment tooling and manual alignment processes during manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical alignment tooling with electronic sensing and computational methods. Angular offset sensors and processors substitute for physical alignment tools, target boards, and manual adjustment mechanisms, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and time
Data Source
AI summary
An active HUD boresight alignment system for correcting a boresight of a HUD in an aircraft relative to an aircraft boresight is described. The system has an aircraft IRU, a HUD angular orientation detector and a detector. The aircraft IRU is rigidly coupled with the aircraft and configured to define an aircraft boresight indicative of a three axis angular orientation of the aircraft. The HUD angular orientation detector is rigidly arranged relative to at least one component of the HUD in the aircraft, and configured to determine a HUD boresight indicative of a three axis angular orientation of the HUD. The processor is coupled with the aircraft IRU and the HUD angular orientation detector and configured to determine a boresight angular offset of the HUD boresight to the aircraft boresight for at least one axis of the three axis angular orientation, and to correct for the boresight angular offset based on the determined boresight angular offset.