Composite normalized angle of attack indicating system

Abstract

A composite normalized angle of attack indicating system provides a simultaneous display of both body angle of attack, such as in digital form, and normalized angle of attack for an aircraft. The display may be visually enhanced as stall is approached such as by zooming the body angle of attack digital display and/or by changing the color of the display. The normalized display also selectively displays an approach reference band when the flap setting is equal to or greater than 20 degrees.

Claims

1. A normalized angle of attack indicating system for use in an aircraft, the indicating system comprising a display gauge comprising: fixed position markings to indicate a predetermined range of normalized aircraft angle of attack in a normalized display presentation, the predetermined range comprising a zero body angle of attack and a stall angle of attack with respect to the aircraft; and a scale having a plurality of normalized scale segments associated with a plurality of flight phases within the predetermined range; wherein the display gauge is configured to display an indicia of body angle of attack for the aircraft simultaneously with the normalized angle of attack for the aircraft for providing a composite simultaneous display of the body angle of attack along with the normalized angle of attack for the aircraft, the body angle of attack being dependent on constants for the aircraft.

2. The indicating system of claim 1 further comprising an approach reference band for the aircraft that is selectively displayed in the normalized display presentation when the fixed position markings correspond to a predetermined percentage of the stall angle of attack.

3. The indicating system of claim 1 wherein the body angle of attack indicia comprises a digital display of the body angle of attack.

4. The indicating system of claim 1 wherein the normalized angle of attack display presentation comprises a pointer indicia being movable along the scale between the fixed position markings in accordance with changes in the normalized angle of attack.

5. The indicating system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of normalized scale segments further comprise a scale segment based on the zero body angle of attack and a scale segment based on the stall angle of attack.

6. The indicating system of claim 1 wherein the body angle of attack display presentation is enhanced in response to a predetermined condition.

7. The indicating system of claim 6 wherein the predetermined condition comprises the body angle of attack value approaching the stall value for the aircraft.

8. The indicating system of claim 7 wherein the body angle of attack display presentation is further enhanced by dynamically zooming the body angle of attack display presentation in response to the predetermined condition.

9. The indicating system of claim 8 wherein the body angle of attack display presentation is further enhanced by changing coloration of the body angle of attack display presentation in response to the predetermined condition.

10. The indicating system of claim 1 wherein the scale of the normalized display presentation comprising the fixed position markings, is based on the equation $n=\frac{-{}_{\mathrm{APP}}}{{}_{\mathrm{SS}}-{}_{\mathrm{APP}}}*-90$ where represents the angle of attack .sub.App represents the approach reference angle of attack and .sub.ss represents the stick shaker angle of attack.

11. A display gauge for an aircraft, the display gauge comprising: (a) a normalized angle of attack indicator comprising: fixed position markings to indicate a predetermined range of normalized aircraft angle of attack in a normalized display presentation, the predetermined range comprising a zero body angle of attack and a stall angle of attack with respect to the aircraft; and a scale having a plurality of normalized scale segments associated with a plurality of flight phases within the predetermined range; and (b) a body angle of attack indicator that is configured to provide an indicia of a body angle of attack for the aircraft, the body angle of attack being dependent on constants for the aircraft; wherein the normalized angle of attack indicator and the body angle of attack indicator are located adjacent to one another within the display gauge to provide a composite display that simultaneously indicates the body angle of attack alongside the normalized aircraft angle of attack of the aircraft.

12. The display gauge of claim 11 further comprising an approach reference band for the aircraft that is selectively displayed in the normalized display indicator when the fixed position markings correspond to a predetermined percentage of the stall angle of attack.

13. The display gauge of claim 11 wherein the body angle of attack indicia comprises a digital display of the body angle of attack.

14. The display gauge of claim 11 wherein the normalized angle of attack display indicator comprises a pointer indicia being movable along the scale between the fixed position markings in accordance with changes in the normalized angle of attack.

15. The display gauge of claim 11 wherein the plurality of normalized scale segments further comprise a scale segment based on the zero body angle of attack and a scale segment based on the stall angle of attack.

16. The display gauge of claim 11 wherein the body angle of attack display indicator is enhanced in response to a predetermined condition, and wherein the predetermined condition comprises the body angle of attack value approaching the stall value for the aircraft.

17. The display gauge of claim 16 wherein the body angle of attack display indicator is enhanced by dynamically zooming the body angle of attack display in response to the predetermined condition, or by changing coloration of the body angle of attack display in response to the predetermined condition.

18. The display gauge of claim 11 wherein the scale of the normalized angle of attack indicator comprising the fixed position markings is based on the equation $n=\frac{-{}_{\mathrm{APP}}}{{}_{\mathrm{SS}}-{}_{\mathrm{APP}}}*-90$ where represents the angle of attack .sub.App represents the approach reference angle of attack and .sub.ss represents the stick shaker angle of attack.

19. The display gauge of claim 11 wherein the display gauge is incorporated into an angle of attack indicating system for the aircraft and the angle of attack indicating system at least comprises: one or more sensors configured to measure a raw angle of attack and one or more parameters associated with the aircraft; at least one hardware processor coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to compute a stick shaker value and a flap position value; at least one data concentrator unit coupled to the at least one hardware processor and configured to: convert the raw angle of attack into a body angle of attack; and convert the stick shaker value into a stick shaker body angle of attack based on a look up table.

20. A method for use by an angle of attack indicating system in an aircraft, the method comprising: providing fixed position markings to indicate a predetermined range of normalized aircraft angle of attack in a normalized display presentation, the predetermined range comprising a zero body angle of attack and a stall angle of attack with respect to the aircraft; and providing a scale having a plurality of normalized scale segments associated with a plurality of flight phases within the predetermined range; wherein the display gauge is configured to display an indicia of body angle of attack for the aircraft simultaneously with the normalized angle of attack for the aircraft for providing a composite simultaneous display of the body angle of attack along with the normalized angle of attack for the aircraft, the body angle of attack being dependent on constants for the aircraft.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the presently preferred embodiment of the normalized angle of attack indicating system of the present invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a typical display gauge presentation for the normalized angle of attack indicating system of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the display gauge of FIG. 2 enroute for the aircraft;

(4) FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the display gauge of FIG. 2 illustrating the normalized scale points of reference; and

(5) FIG. 5 is a graphical representation illustrating the body angle of attack to the normalized angle of attack on approach for a flap setting of 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(6) Referring now to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIG. 1, a block diagram of the presently preferred angle of attack indicating system 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown. As will be noted, the indicating system 10 of the present invention preferably provides a composite display 20, such as illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, of both the body angle of attack 3, in a digital display, and the normalized angle of attack 2. As shown and preferred in FIG. 1, the normalized angle of attack is calculated in a similar fashion to the body angle of attack. The conventional Vane angle of attack, or AOA Vane, 12, 14 is provided to the conventional on board left, center and right data concentrator units 16, 18, 22, respectively, via the conventional onside air data computer 24, and offside air data computer 26, respectively. This Vane AOA is typically raw angle of attack data. The particular aircraft type is preferably conventionally determined based on the pin strapping of the data concentrator unit 30. As further shown in FIG. 1, a conventional pitot static system 32, 34 monitors and sends both a static pressure signal and a total pressure signal to the respective air data computers 24, 26. The air data computers 24, 26 then conventionally send the aircraft's actual angle of attack signal to the data concentrator unit 30. In addition, conventional configuration sensors 36 on the aircraft communicate various relevant values to a conventional stall warning computer 38, such as stick shaker and flaps, which are in turn communicated to the data concentrator unit 30.

(7) As further shown and preferred in FIG. 1, the stick shaker signal is fed to the center data concentrator 18 where it is conventionally converted to a body angle of attack stick shaker value using a look up table, and is, in turn, fed to the composite display 20 which is preferably normalized with respect to stick shaker, as represented in FIG. 1 by block 40. In addition, the flaps output of the stall warning computer 38 output is fed to data concentrator 22 where the approach reference is conventionally calculated and also normalized with respect to the approach reference as also indicated in FIG. 1 at block 40. Both of these normalized values are communicated to the composite display 20 for providing a normalized display presentation thereof. In addition, as also shown and preferred in FIG. 1, the AOA outputs of both of the air data computers 24, 26 are preferably fed to data concentrator unit 16 where they are conventionally converted to a corresponding body angle of attack using a look up table and converted into a digital display of the body angle of attack for display on the composite display 20 alongside the normalized display presentation, such as illustrated in FIGS. 2-4. If desired, the body angle of attack component of the composite display 20, which is non-normalized, may be conventionally calculated in the manner described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,055, the contents of which are hereby specifically incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In either instance, the calculated body angle of attack is converted into a digital display 3 which preferably appears in the composite display 20 adjacent the normalized angle of attack display presentation 1, 2 (see FIG. 2).

(8) Preferably, the normalized points of reference for the normalized display presentation in the preferred composite display 20 are determined from the body angle of attack in accordance with the following equation

(9) $n=\frac{-{}_{\mathrm{APP}}}{{}_{\mathrm{SS}}-{}_{\mathrm{APP}}}*-90$
where represents the angle of attack
.sub.App represents the approach reference angle of attack
And .sub.ss represents the stick shaker angle of attack

(10) Referring now to FIG. 2, a typical composite display gauge presentation for the normalized angle of attack indicating system 10 of FIG. 1 is shown. As shown and preferred, the normalized display gauge 20, includes a normalized AOA gauge 1 which represents normalized AOA from 0.0 to 1.0 where 1.0 represents the stall angle of attack, 0.875 represents the stick shaker angle of attack, 0.60 represents the ideal approach AOA for flap handle positions less than 20 degrees, and 0.0 represents the zero point reference which equals 0 degrees body angle of attack. As further shown, the normalized display gauge presentation includes a movable pointer 2 for providing the normalized AOA indication on the composite display 20, with the Vane AOA being converted to body AOA and being normalized between stick shaker AOA and the zero point reference in the composite display 20. In addition, as further shown and described, the composite display 20 also includes the previously mentioned digital indication 3 of the body AOA which, as previously described, is preferably a result of the Vane AOA being received from the air data computer 24, 26 or stall warning computer 38 and converted to body AOA based on the aircraft type. The stall AOA, which represents 1.0 on the scale normalized gauge 1, is represented by reference numeral 4 in FIG. 2 in the composite display 20 and is a calculated value based on the stick shaker AOA. Reference numeral 5 in FIG. 2 represents the normalized stick shaker AOA in the composite display 20. Reference numeral 6 in FIG. 2 represents the ideal AOA reference for approach in the composite display 20, as will be described hereinafter, and is preferably utilized in the normalization calculation only on approach. Preferably, the ideal AOA reference for approach, when displayed, is shown at the 0.6 tick mark in the composite display 20. In addition, the composite display 20 also selectively displays an approach reference band 7 only when, by way of example, the flap handle setting is set to equal or greater than 20 degrees. Preferably, the approach reference band 7 displayed in the composite display 20 is based on an internally stored table which conventionally varies with flap setting, received via the stall warning computer 38, and aircraft type. The resulting value is then normalized and centered in the composite display 20 at the 0.6 tick mark when, preferably, the flap setting is 20 degrees or higher.

(11) Referring now to FIG. 3. a normalized display 20 similar to FIG. 2 is shown. However, as will be noted, no approach reference band 7 is present in the composite display 20 as the aircraft is shown enroute and is not on approach so that the flap handle setting, received via the stall warning computer 38, is set to less than 20 degrees for the aircraft.

(12) Referring now to FIG. 4, a normalized display 20 similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 is shown. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the normalized scale 1 is preferably effectively segmented as it is scaled from zero body AOA up to stall AOA. The four segments of the normalized scale 1 in the indicating system 10 of the present invention are diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 4 by scale portions A, B, C, and D. Scale portion A represents the stick shaker AOA and the approach reference AOA, or 60 percent of stall AOA, depending on the phase of flight of the aircraft, and are utilized in the present invention as references to create the normalized scale 1 based on the above normalization equation for determining the value of n. Scale portion B represents the typical flight area for the aircraft. Generally, on approach, the approach reference AOA ranges in percentage of stall from 25 percent to 40 percent. Therefore, the scaling exhibited in scale portion A is carried through on scale portion B, allowing the needle or pointer 2 to move linearly within the typical flight area. Scale portions C and D are preferably calculated based on either the zero body AOA or the stall AOA compared to the resulting end points from scale portion B.

(13) FIG. 5 is a graphic illustration of a typical body AOA to degrees on the normalized AOA indicator 10 of the present invention, with the approach flaps set at 20 degrees.

(14) In accordance with the present invention, the indicating system 10 of the present invention also preferably provides an additional visual warning to the flight crew when the aircraft is at or near stall by preferably zooming the body angle digital display as well as changing its color, such as by making it red, preferably along with making the needle 2 red as well. This visual warning can be separate from or in addition to other warnings, such as an audio warning when the aircraft is close to stall.

(15) Thus, in the indicating system 10 of the present invention, the calculated body AOA is digitally displayed adjacent the normalized AOA scale presentation, with the calculated body AOA being normalized based on stick shaker AOA and approach reference AOA. By displaying the body AOA in a composite display 20 with the normalized AOA provides the flight crew with the best of both worlds to provide flight crews with an accurate and efficient quick glance awareness to the proximity of an unsafe operating speed for the aircraft which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.