Electro-optical emergency vision apparatus

ES 2 536 655 T3

DESCRIPTION

Electro-optical emergency vision apparatus

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus that enables an operator to maintain visual contact with instruments or other sources of data viewing when smoke and / or particulate matter appears from a fire or other sources that have invaded the operator's environment. In particular, the present invention relates to a system that allows a clear view of the exterior of the windshield and the instrument panel, the relevant checklist, the approach indicator, the keypad, the circuit breakers, the fuses, the instrument panel. control, etc., thus providing a pilot with vital information to guide the aircraft to a safe landing after smoke and / or other particulate matter has invaded the cockpit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When pilot cabins are invaded by constant, dense and blinding smoke that turns airplanes into unguided missiles, the results are known to be catastrophic and fatal to passengers and crew. Nothing creates a dangerous situation as quickly as a pilot blinded by constant opaque smoke. Smoke is one of the most common problems in the cockpit. According to the Airline Pilots Association, on average there is one forced or emergency landing per day due to cabin smoke.

What happens in a cockpit can also be applied to any command post where the operator's ability to see the instrument panel when smoke invades the command post is dependent on safe operation or orderly shutdown of critical processes, such as and as it happens in nuclear power plants, submarines and similar command posts.

The present invention is related to US Patent Nos. 4,832,287, 5,318,250, 5,202,796, 5,947,415, and 6,082,673.

Prior art systems that allow emergency vision use inflatable bodies with vision panels at opposite ends of the bodies to occupy the distance between the pilot's mask and the windshield or instrument panel to allow the pilot to access visual information. to help you maneuver the aircraft in case of smoke in the cabin.

Document US 6,714,141 discloses an electronic cockpit vision system for a vision system that allows to maintain control, during flight and landing, of an aircraft and its systems when the cockpit has been invaded with a dense and constant smoke. The system includes an electronic signal converter, a scanner, a video camera on the windshield, a video camera in the cockpit, and smoke goggles equipped with two electronic eye-level video displays. The signal converter feeds its output into protective smoke goggles that include a video display, allowing essential information for flight and emergency landing to be viewed on a virtual screen. The virtual screen shows the information in an adequate depth perception to facilitate its compression.

WO 00/28281 A1 discloses a system for maneuvering an aircraft or other vehicles in a smoky environment. The system includes a mask configured to surround the eyes of a user and form an airtight insulation against the face of the user. The mask includes a user-visible screen that displays critical operating system information that enables continuous handling of the aircraft. A signal path means provides the display screen with appropriate signals from the aircraft instrument display sources.

Additional prior art systems allowing emergency vision are known from EP 1 121 959 A1, US 2003/0002164 A1, US 3,945,716, US 5,113,177, US 2005/0117052 A1 and WO 99 / 43242 A1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an emergency vision apparatus that allows an operator to visually access information during a smoke emergency situation, as defined in claim 1, where preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an emergency vision apparatus that allows a pilot to see through the

ES 2 536 655 T3 windshield and viewing the aircraft instrument panel during a smoke emergency situation.

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of a folding box used in the apparatus of Fig. 1, shown in an expanded and unfolded configuration for instrument panel display.

Fig. 3 is a front perspective of the folding box of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the box of Fig. 2, shown in a deflated configuration for storage.

Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the cockpit of an aircraft, showing a pilot using the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention, using wired cameras.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention, using wireless cameras and wireless transmissions.

Fig. 8 is similar to Fig. 5, showing the pilot moving the box to a different position on the instrument panel.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of images seen through the windshield and the box.

Fig. 10 is a functional block of another embodiment of the present invention, which uses the aircraft's avionics system to provide flight information supplied to the virtual reality glasses worn by the pilot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Fig. 1, an emergency vision apparatus 2 comprises an objective lens 4 connected to an optical fiber 6 and an observation lens 8 connected to the other end of the optical fiber 6. The lens 4 is mounted on a suction cup 10 for attaching to the windshield of an aircraft cabin. Apparatus 2 further includes an expandable box or body 12 with a transparent front panel 14 and rear panel 16. The box 12 is made of an airtight material. Fixing elements 18, such as velcro strips, are provided along the front outer edge of the box 12 for attachment to the cockpit instrument panel. An objective lens 20 is attached to the rear panel 16 of the case 12. An optical fiber 22 connects the lens 20 to an observation lens 24. A support arm 26 with attachment elements 28 is used to support the lenses 8 and 24. in front of the pilot's eyes. Fixing elements 28 are used to fix support arm 26 to the pilot's oxygen helmet.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3, and 4, box 12 includes a flexible side wall 30 supported by a coil spring 34. Side wall 30 encloses front and rear panels 14 and 16 to provide a sealed interior volume. Spring 34 allows box 12 to compress and deflate into a compact configuration when not in use, as shown in Fig. 4. Spring 34 is biased to bring box 12 into the expanded position, shown in Fig. two and 3. When box 12 is allowed to expand, cabin air is drawn in through a filter 36, thus filling the internal volume of box 12 with clean air. Filter 36 is designed to filter smoke or other particulate matter from the air to provide clean air within box 12. Box 12 includes handles 37 to allow the pilot to comfortably move box 12 to different areas of the instrument panel as required. necessary (as seen in Fig. 5 and 8). Coupling pads 18 are used to secure the case 12 to the instrument panel. The transparent front panel 14 is made of a flexible material to allow it to conform to irregularities on the front face of the instrument panel.

Referring to Fig. 5, apparatus 2 is used during an emergency situation caused by smoke in the cockpit of an aircraft so that the pilot can access visual information critical to the handling and landing of the aircraft, such as a clear view of the exterior of the windshield, instrument panel, relevant checklist, approach indicator, keypad, circuit breakers, fuses, control panel, etc. The suction cup 10 is attached to the windshield 39 to position the lens 4 in order to be able to see objects outside the windshield. Lens 4 has a wide enough field of view to give the pilot a sufficient view of the outside. Support arm 26 is coupled to the helmet to closely position lenses 8 and 24 in front of one of the pilot's eyes, such as the right eye, as shown. Box 12 is released from its storage position, allowing spring 32 to expand box 12. Cabin air is drawn through filter 36 to fill the interior of box 12 with clean air. The box 12 is positioned over and against a desired area of ​​the instrument panel, thus displacing the smoke between the front panel 14 and the face of the instrument panel. The lens 20 therefore offers an unobstructed view of the instrument panel through the interior of the case 12. The fasteners 18 mate with corresponding fasteners on the instrument panel, allowing the case 12 to be supported from the instrument panel.

ES 2 536 655 T3 instruments. The lens 20 has a field of view that substantially spans the width and height of the box 12. The images captured by the respective lenses 4 and 20 are transmitted through the respective optical fibers 6 and 22 to the observation lenses 8 and 24 respective ones for the pilot to observe.

Referring to Fig. 6, another embodiment of an emergency vision apparatus 38 is disclosed. A camera 40 is coupled to a suction cup 42. Images captured by camera 40 are sent via cable 44 to a LCD display unit 46. The expandable box 12 is also provided with a camera 48 in place of the lens 20. Images captured by camera 48 through front panel 14 are transmitted via cable 50 to LCD display unit 52. Both display units 46 and 52 are supported by support arm 54 with coupling pads 56 for its coupling to the pilot's oxygen helmet. It should be understood that the LCD display units 46 and 52 can be combined into a single display unit with a split screen comprising an upper screen and a lower screen, where the upper screen is associated with the camera 40 and the lower screen with the camera. 48.

In operation, apparatus 38 is used in a similar manner to apparatus 2, during an emergency situation caused by smoke in the aircraft cabin, to enable the pilot to access visual information critical to the handling and landing of the aircraft. aircraft. The suction cup 42 is attached to the windscreen 39 of the cabin. Support arm 54 is attached to the pilot's helmet to closely position display units 46 and 52 in front of one of the pilot's eyes. Box 12 is released from its storage position, allowing spring 32 to expand box 12. Front panel 14 of box 12 is pressed against the face of the instrument panel to displace smoke obscuring gauges, instruments and displays . The images captured by the respective cameras 40 and 48 are transmitted through the respective cables 44 and 50 to the respective display units 46 and 52 for the pilot to observe.

Referring to Fig. 7, another embodiment of an emergency vision apparatus 58 comprises camera 40 coupled to suction cup 42. Camera 40 includes a wireless transmitter 64 for transmitting images to a receiver 66 coupled to a support arm. 68. Receiver 66 is operatively connected to LCD display unit 46 to display images generated by camera 40. The camera 48 is also provided with a transmitter 70 for transmitting the images to the receiver 66, which is operatively connected to the LCD display unit 52 for displaying the images. Support arm 68 includes attachment elements 72 for attachment to the pilot's oxygen helmet. The operation of apparatus 58 is similar to that of apparatus 38, except that images generated by cameras 40 and 48 are transmitted wirelessly to receiver 66 for viewing on display units 46 and 52. Standard procedures are known in the art. of wireless transmissions.

Support arm 26, 54, or 68 is a way to support lenses 8 and 24 or display units 46 and 52 for placement in front of the pilot's right eye. It should be understood that other ways may be provided, such as the use of a spectacle frame. It should be understood that sighting lenses or display units must be placed close enough to the helmet visor to avoid obscuring images due to smoke, or they may be placed inside the pilot's helmet.

Referring to Fig. 10, a system 80 is disclosed for integrating cameras 40 and 48 with flight information and for displaying the resulting image on display screens embedded in goggles 82 worn by the pilot in the event of an emergency situation. produced by smoke. The glasses 82 are offered as virtual reality glasses, but other types of display units can be used, such as a display unit provided in a monocle. Camera 40 is focused through the windshield to provide visual information of the flight environment. Camera 48 is focused through expandable box 12 to view critical instruments in the cockpit.

A computer 83 is operatively connected to the aircraft's avionics system through bus interfaces 84 and 86, such as ARINC 429 and 629, to accommodate older and newer aircraft. It should be understood that the choice of bus interfaces should depend on the particular bus protocols and is therefore not necessarily limited to ARINC 429 and 629. Computer 83 receives data from aircraft systems, such as inertial reference systems, flight management system, and other flight guidance systems, for display. The connection to the ARINC bus advantageously allows the imaging system to display selected information from the avionics system. Such information may include heading, altitude, GPS and associated topography, and propulsion system information. Any information can be displayed on the ARINC bus.

The images from cameras 40 and 48 are input into an image processor 88 that combines the information provided by the ARINC bus to provide a compendium of data that is displayed on the screens of virtual reality glasses 82. A single push button 92, when depressed, allows the pilot to select different imaging configurations, such as views provided only by cameras 40 and 48, views provided only by the avionics system, or combinations between the cameras and the avionics system. A temperature sensor 94 provides cabin temperature information. One 96 battery pack and power converters

ES 2 536 655 T3 power 98 provide the necessary power required by system 80.

The system 80 can be activated by a lanyard, which is pulled when the goggles 82 are removed from the case that houses the system 80. A manual switch can also be provided as an auxiliary and to test the system.

Since the avionics system can also provide GPS topographic information, such as the terrain around an airport and along the flight path, the system 80 is advantageously a highly redundant system, where the information provided by the camera 40 is also provided by the avionics system or the information obtained by the ARINC bus is also provided by the camera 48.

Although the present invention has been described in the context of the cockpit of an aircraft, it should be understood that it can also be applied to other environments, such as the command post of a submarine, a control room of a nuclear power plant or any other environment in the need for an operator to continue operation in the event of smoke in the room that impairs visibility between the operator and the control panel. For example, in Fig. 5, the instrument or control panel may be arranged in a command post in a control room of a submarine, a nuclear power plant or other critical sites. In this case, so that operation is not interrupted, the operator must have visual access to the instrument panel or control panel in case the command post is invaded by smoke. Consequently, the described invention can also be applied to the cockpit of a pilot, without the lens or the camera to see outside.

Objective lenses 4 and 20 and cameras 40 and 48 are examples of image capture devices. Observation lenses 8 and 24 and display units 46 and 52 are examples of image observation devices.

Although this invention has been described with a preferred design, it should be understood that it admits modifications, uses and / or additional adaptations following, in general, the principle of the invention, such variations of the present disclosure being included within the known or usual practice of the field to which the invention belongs, so they are within the scope of the claims.