Video landing and departure system

Claim 2

A video landing and departure system for aircraft for installation at an airport for use by an aircraft provided with a video receiver installed in the cockpit comprising: A. a mockup scale model of said airport comprising a table which is rotatable on a vertical axis and tiltable on a horizontal axis; B. a closed loop video system including: 1. a first video camera which is rotatable on the vertical axis of the camera lens and tiltable on a horizontal axis parallel to said tilt axis of the airport model, and means to direct the viewing range of said camera toward said mockup model airport; and 2. means to transmit the video camera image to the receiver for causing a video display of said model for viewing by the pilot; C. ground based electronic means to derive the slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle of said aircraft and control means, operable by said ground based electronic means to vary the distance between said model airport and first video camera and to synchronously rotate and tilt both a) said model and b) said video camera on said vertical and horizontal axes respectively, means to synchronize inverse relative angular movement in azimuth, slant distance and elevation angle of said mockup scale model of said airport table and said first video camera to continuously maintain and display the same slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle relationship between said model and video camera as that existing between said aircraft and airport; D. means operable by electronic transmissions from said aircraft of data as to yaw of said aircraft to vary the position of said video camera and said means to direct to respond to said data to continuously vary the relationship between said model and video camera to maintain that relation which exists between said aircraft and the airport.

Claim 3

means to transmit the video camera image to the receiver for causing a video display of said model for viewing by the pilot; C. ground based electronic means to derive the slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle of said aircraft and control means, operable by said ground based electronic means to vary the distance between said model airport and first video camera and to synchronously rotate and tilt both a) said model and b) said video camera on said vertical and horizontal axes respectively, means to synchronize inverse relative angular movement in azimuth, slant distance and elevation angle of said mockup scale model of said airport table and said first video camera to continuously maintain and display the same slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle relationship between said model and video camera as that existing between said aircraft and airport; D. means operable by electronic transmissions from said aircraft of data as to yaw of said aircraft to vary the position of said video camera and said means to direct to respond to said data to continuously vary the relationship between said model and video camera to maintain that relation which exists between said aircraft and the airport.

Claim 4

means to transmit the video camera image to the receiver for causing a video display of said model for viewing by the pilot; C. ground based electronic means to derive the slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle of said aircraft and control means, operable by said ground based electronic means to vary the distance between said model airport and first video camera and to synchronously rotate and tilt both a) said model and b) said video camera on said vertical and horizontal axes respectively, means to synchronize inverse relative angular movement in azimuth, slant distance and elevation angle of said mockup scale model of said airport table and said first video camera to continuously maintain and display the same slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle relationship between said model and video camera as that existing between said aircraft and airport; D. means operable by electronic transmissions from said aircraft of data as to yaw of said aircraft to vary the position of said video camera and said means to direct to respond to said data to continuously vary the relationship between said model and video camera to maintain that relation which exists between said aircraft and the airport.

Claim 5

The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means to direct comprises a glass prism configured and positioned intermediate the lens of said first camera and said mockup scale model of said airport, said prism including means for orienting and mounting the same for relative movement with respect to said lens in relation to said pitch and roll data.

Claim 6

means to transmit the video camera image to the receiver for causing a video display of said model for viewing by the pilot; C. ground based electronic means to derive the slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle of said aircraft and control means, operable by said ground based electronic means to vary the distance betweEn said model airport and first video camera and to synchronously rotate and tilt both a) said model and b) said video camera on said vertical and horizontal axes respectively, in a manner to continuously maintain and display the same slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle relationship between said model and video camera as that existing between said aircraft and airport; D. control means operable by electronic transmissions from said aircraft of data as to roll, pitch and yaw of said aircraft to vary the position of said video camera and said means to direct to respond to said data to continuously vary the relationship between said video camera and model to reflect that relation which exists between said aircraft and the airport, said control means for positioning said first camera to accommodate the yaw of said aircraft comprising a radio controlled servomotor which rotates said first video camera on its vertical axis to direct said first camera relative to said model airport in accord with the yaw of said aircraft, said control means to position said prism to accommodate said roll and pitch data comprising a pair of cooperating radio controlled servomotors to tilt said prism on its longitudinal axis to accommodate the roll of the aircraft and a radio controlled servomotor to tilt said prism on its lateral axis to accommodate the pitch of the aircraft; and E. a carriage for said camera, prism and associated servomotors, to synchronize relative changes and distance between the camera and airport model by radar derived slant range data, said carriage being movably mounted for movement toward or away from said model, and including a cylindrical housing surrounding said first camera, prism and associated servomotors, said housing being provided with an appropriate cutout portion sized and positioned to permit desirable viewing angles toward the model airport in both horizontal and vertical directions, said cutout portion providing a horizontal viewing angle in order of 30 to 40* and a horizon line extending around the remaining 320 to 330* of the interior of said housing to be viewed by said first video camera when the yaw of said aircraft rotates said first video camera out of the 30 to 40* range of the cutout portion.

Claim 7

means to transmit the video camera image to the receiver for causing a video display of said model for viewing by the pilot; C. ground based electronic means to derive the slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle of said aircraft and control means, operable by said ground based electronic means to vary the distance betweEn said model airport and first video camera and to synchronously rotate and tilt both a) said model and b) said video camera on said vertical and horizontal axes respectively, in a manner to continuously maintain and display the same slant distance, azimuth and elevation angle relationship between said model and video camera as that existing between said aircraft and airport; D. control means operable by electronic transmissions from said aircraft of data as to roll, pitch and yaw of said aircraft to vary the position of said video camera and said means to direct to respond to said data to continuously vary the relationship between said video camera and model to reflect that relation which exists between said aircraft and the airport, said control means for positioning said first camera to accommodate the yaw of said aircraft comprising a radio controlled servomotor which rotates said first video camera on its vertical axis to direct said first camera relative to said model airport in accord with the yaw of said aircraft, said control means to position said prism to accommodate said roll and pitch data comprising a pair of cooperating radio controlled servomotors to tilt said prism on its longitudinal axis to accommodate the roll of the aircraft and a radio controlled servomotor to tilt said prism on its lateral axis to accommodate the pitch of the aircraft; and E. a carriage for said camera, prism and associated servomotors, to synchronize relative changes and distance between the camera and airport model by radar derived slant range data, said carriage being movably mounted for movement toward or away from said model, and including a cylindrical housing surrounding said first camera, prism and associated servomotors, said housing being provided with an appropriate cutout portion sized and positioned to permit desirable viewing angles toward the model airport in both horizontal and vertical directions, said cutout portion providing a horizontal viewing angle in order of 30 to 40* and a horizon line extending around the remaining 320 to 330* of the interior of said housing to be viewed by said first video camera when the yaw of said aircraft rotates said first video camera out of the 30 to 40* range of the cutout portion.

Claim 8

The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means operable by electronic transmissions from said aircraft of data as to pitch and yaw of said aircraft is also operable in response to data as to roll of said aircraft and said device includes means to control and position said video camera and means to respond to said data as to roll to continuously vary the relationship between the model and the video camera as that relationship varies between said aircraft and the airport.

Claim 9

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 3 wherein said control means to vary the distance between said model airport and video camera and to synchronously rotatE and tilt said model and first video camera on their respective vertical and horizontal axes comprises radar controlled servomotors.

Claim 10

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 4 in which said servomotors which synchronously rotate and tilt said model and first video camera are synchronously operated by the slewing of the radar antenna on its azimuth and movement on its elevation angle respectively, said rotation and tilting of said model and first video camera being in direct proportion to but in opposite directions to the movements of the radar antenna.

Claim 11

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 4 in which said control means for positioning said first camera to accommodate the yaw of said aircraft comprises a radio controlled servomotor which rotates said first video camera on its vertical axis to focus said first camera relative to said model airport in accord with the bearing of said aircraft relative to said airport.

Claim 12

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 6 in which said control means to position said prism to accommodate said roll and pitch data comprises a pair of cooperating radio controlled servomotors to tilt said prism on its longitudinal axis to accommodate the roll of the aircraft and a radio controlled servomotor to tilt said prism on its lateral axis to accommodate the pitch of the aircraft.

Claim 13

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 7 including a carriage for said camera, prism and associated servomotors, said carriage being suspended from ceiling mounted track means for said radar controlled servomotor movement toward or away from said model.

Claim 14

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 8 including a cylindrical housing surrounding said first camera, prism and associated servomotors, said housing being provided with an appropriate cutout portion sized and positioned to permit desirable viewing angles toward the model airport in both horizontal and vertical directions.

Claim 15

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 9 including a male stud member extending vertically upwardly from said first camera and a cooperating female member extending upwardly from the cylindrical housing for reception of said male stud member to rotatably suspend said camera therefrom.

Claim 16

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 10 including cooperating slipring assemblies on the male stud member and within the female member to carry electric circuits.

Claim 17

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 9 including a pair of horizontal diametrically opposed, outwardly extending pivot rods on said housing for engagement in downwardly extending arms of said camera carriage to accommodate said tilting of said first camera on said horizontal axis.

Claim 18

A video landing and departure system for aircraft for installation at an airport for use by an aircraft provided with a video receiver installed in the cockpit comprising: A. a mockup scale model of said airport comprising a table which is rotatable on a vertical axis and tiltable on a horizontal axis; B. a closed loop video system including:

Claim 19

A video landing and departure system for aircraft for installation at an airport for use by an aircraft provided with a video receiver installed in the cockpit comprising: A. a mockup scale model of said airport comprising a table which is rotatable on a vertical axis and tiltable on a horizontal axis; B. a closed loop video system including:

Claim 20

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 21 including direction and degree markings about the interior of said housing adjacent said horizon line to be viewed by said first video camera simultaneously therewith.

Claim 21

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 3 including the integration in the marginal edges of the video presentation to the pilot of actual altitude, distance to the runway and any other pertinent vital information acquired by conventional ground based equipment and photographed by a separate video camera.

Claim 22

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 14 including a second video camera suspended from said carriage and a vertical wall adjacent said model and first video camera including a line representing the correct glide path and flare out of an aircraft making a landing approach to an airport, said second video camera being positioned relative to said line and being tiltable and movable longitudinally with said first video camera to transmit to said airborne video receiver in said aircraft a presentation to the pilot thereof the relationship of the glide path of said aircraft relative to the correct guide path as indicated by said line.

Claim 23

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 16 in which said presentation of the relationship between the glide path of said aircraft and said line comprises a scale on one vertical side of the frame of the cathode ray tube of said receiver and a dot transmitted by said second camera integrated in the corresponding side edge of the video presentation, said scale including a marking indicatIng the aircraft is on the correct glide path when said dot is in alignment therewith and gradations above and below said marking to indicate respectively the distance of the aircraft above or below the correct glide path as determined by the position of said dot relative to said gradations.

Claim 24

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 17 including a third video camera suspended from said carriage and a pair of lines on the floor converging toward said model airport, said third video camera including a wide angle lens focused on said converging lines and being movable toward said model airport with said first and second video cameras to transmit to said airborne video receiver in said aircraft a presentation to the pilot thereof the exact distance of the aircraft to the end of said airport runway.

Claim 25

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 18 in which said distance presentation to the pilot comprises a scale on one horizontal side of the frame of the cathode ray tube of said receiver and a pair of dots integrated in the corresponding longitudinal side edge of the video presentation, said scale including a central marking indicating the point of convergence of said lines which represents the position of the aircraft over the end of the runway, and markings to each side of said central marking indicating distances to said runway, said pair of dots being spaced relative to the spacing between said converging lines indicating to the pilot by means of said horizontal scale the exact distance to the end of said runway and then merging into one dot at said point of convergence when the aircraft arrives at a position over the end of the runway.

Claim 26

A video landing and departure system for aircraft as set forth in claim 1 in which said first video camera is located in a fixed position and said scale mockup airport is movable toward or away from said first camera.