Center Pedestal Display Integration for Legacy Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft center instrument pedestals in F-16, F-15, and A-10 jets lack modern situational awareness capabilities while maintaining legacy instrumentation, requiring upgrades that do not alter the aircraft's structure or compromise existing functionality.
Innovation Solution
The integration of canister modules hosting digital flight instruments and processing capabilities within the existing center instrument pedestal, which provide enhanced situational awareness through displays and additional functionalities like navigational maps and infrared access, without modifying the pedestal's structure or altering its weight and center of gravity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If legacy instrumentation is retained in the center pedestal, then existing functionality is maintained, but modern situational awareness capabilities are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges legacy pedestal instruments with a large display screen by integrating the display within the existing pedestal housing. The display receives data from legacy instruments and provides enhanced graphical visualization, combining old and new technologies in a unified system that maintains reliability while improving situational awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The display screen serves multiple functions: it displays information from legacy instruments, provides navigation maps, shows infrared imagery, and presents other mission data. This multi-functional approach allows the single display to replace multiple separate instruments while maintaining all existing capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pedestal structure is modified to accommodate new displays, then modern capabilities are added, but structural changes are required
Solution Approach 1:
The display is nested within the existing pedestal housing, utilizing the same mounting space and structural framework. The display mounts to the rear surface of the pedestal, nesting the new technology within the old structure rather than requiring external modifications or new structural elements.
Solution Approach 2:
A mounting plate or adapter interface serves as an intermediary between the display and the existing pedestal structure. This intermediary component allows the display to be integrated into the pedestal without requiring direct modification of the pedestal's structural elements, simplifying the integration process.
3Ease of manufacture
If canister modules are integrated within the existing pedestal, then upgrades are achieved without structural changes, but processing capabilities must be added
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into modular canister modules that can be independently installed within the pedestal. Each canister handles specific processing functions (navigation, infrared, communication), allowing complex processing capabilities to be added through modular units rather than a monolithic integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical instrument readings with electronic data transmission and digital processing. Legacy mechanical instruments transmit data electronically to the display and processing modules, substituting mechanical processing with electronic and computational processing capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a center pedestal display includes a plurality of mounting faces and a high-resolution screen. The plurality of mounting faces include a first mounting face that is substantially parallel with a first surface of a pedestal mounting block of an existing instrument pedestal and a second mounting face that is substantially parallel with a second surface of the pedestal mounting block, the second surface intersecting the first surface at an angle such that the first surface is not parallel to the second surface. The existing instrument pedestal includes one or more pedestal gauges and one or more pedestal switches. The high-resolution screen is configured to display information comprising at least some information provided by the one or more pedestal gauges. The high-resolution screen is approximately 6×8 inches and has a resolution of at least 1024×768 pixels.