Integrated Flight Instrument for Hovering Aircraft Motion Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flight instruments for hovering aircraft do not provide a clear, integrated picture of the aircraft's motion and attitude, making it difficult for pilots to master hovering and maneuvering, especially since existing instruments are ambiguous and require time-consuming mental integration of partial information.
Innovation Solution
An integrated flight instrument featuring an external reference display with a horizon line and lubber lines, combined with an aircraft metaphor that includes a power bar, pitch line, and pivoting arms to depict roll, pitch, yaw, forward/rearward, lateral, and vertical translations, along with power settings, providing clear and unambiguous information to the pilot.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional flight instruments (attitude indicator, directional gyro, airspeed indicator, vertical speed indicator) are used to display aircraft motion, then each instrument provides specific information about roll, pitch, yaw, or speed, but the combined information is ambiguous and requires time-consuming mental integration by the pilot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple conventional flight instruments into a single integrated display that simultaneously shows attitude (roll, pitch, yaw) and motion information (forward/rearward, lateral, vertical translation) in one unified visual field, eliminating the need for pilots to scan and mentally integrate separate instruments
Solution Approach 2:
The display instrument performs multiple functions simultaneously: it displays traditional attitude information (roll, pitch, yaw) while also displaying motion information (forward/rearward translation, lateral translation, vertical translation), making it a universal instrument that replaces multiple separate instruments
2Loss of information
If pilots observe external objects to discern helicopter motion, then motion information can be obtained, but the information is ambiguous and difficult to interpret, especially for slow motions during hovering
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument serves as an intermediary between the external environment and the pilot's perception, providing a direct and unambiguous visual representation of motion that eliminates the need for pilots to interpret ambiguous external object movements
3Loss of information
If computer simulations are used for flight training, then detailed motion information can be provided, but the simulations fail to resolve the inherent ambiguity of real-world hover information
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument creates a simplified copy or representation of the complex real-world motion environment, presenting motion information in a standardized, unambiguous visual format that can be reliably interpreted during training
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated flight instrument which provides unambiguous information regarding the motion of a hovering aircraft. The instrument accurately depicts motion in six degrees of freedom (roll, pitch, yaw, forward translation, lateral translation, and vertical translation), as well as aircraft power requirements and utilization.