US6138060A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Terrain awareness system
Assignee: Honeywell International Inc
•
Filing: 1997-09-02
•
Granted: 2000-10-24
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Expires: 2017-09-02
Abstract
Abstract A terrain awareness system and method which provides increased warning times to the pilot of an aircraft of a hazardous flight condition while minimizing nuisance warnings. An important aspect of the invention is that the terrain background information as well as the terrain advisory and warning indications may be displayed on a navigational or weather display, normally existing within an aircraft, which reduces the cost of the system and obviates the need for extensive modifications to existing displays, such as a navigational and weather radar type display.
Inventors
- 👤 Kevin J. Conner
- 👤 Hans Rudolph Muller, deceased
- 👤 legal representative Beat Muller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 08:22
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/04; G05D1/06; G05D1/0607; G05D1/0653; G05D1/0676; G01; G01C; G01C5/00; G01C5/005; G01S; G01S13/00; G01S13/88; G01S13/93; G01S13/933; G01S13/935; G01S13/95; G01S13/953; G01S19/00; G01S19/01; G01S19/13; G01S19/14; G01S19/15; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A90/00; Y02A90/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
61 words
A warning system for aircraft comprising: a terrain awareness device for receiving and storing terrain information relative to a position of an aircraft; a visual display, coupled to the terrain awareness device, for displaying the terrain formation to the pilot; and a controller, coupled to the visual display, for automatically determining when the rain information is displayed on the visual display.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
61 words
A warning system for aircraft comprising: a terrain awareness device for receiving and storing terrain information relative to a position of an aircraft; a visual display, coupled to the terrain awareness device, for displaying the terrain formation to the pilot; and a controller, coupled to the visual display, for automatically determining when the rain information is displayed on the visual display.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The warning system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a selection switch for switching between the terrain information and other information.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The warning system of claim 2 wherein the other information is selected from the group consisting essentially of weather and navigational information.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The warning system of claim 1 further comprising means for determining a severity of a terrain threat, wherein the terrain information on the visual display changes color based on said severity.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
The warning system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a first state, in which the visual display depicts no information, a second state in which the visual display depicts terrain information and a third state in which the visual display depicts weather information.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The warning system of claim 5 further comprising a terrain selection switch for moving the controller between the second and third states.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
63 words
The warning system of claim 5 further comprising a master selection switch for moving the controller between the first and second states, wherein the controller moves from the third state to the first state when the master selection switch is turned OFF, and wherein the controller moves from the first state to the second state when the master selection switch is turned ON.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The warning system of claim 1 further comprising a terrain selection lamp for indicating that the terrain information has been selected.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The warning system of claim 1 further comprising a terrain display lamp for indicating that the terrain information is being displayed on the visual display.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The warning system of claim 1 wherein the terrain awareness device determines when the aircraft has a terrain alert, the system further comprising a terrain alert lamp for indicating the terrain alert.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
A warning system for aircraft comprising: a terrain awareness device for receiving and storing terrain information relative to a position of an aircraft; a visual display for displaying terrain and weather information to the pilot; and a controller for automatically determining when the terrain information is displayed and when the weather information is displayed.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
54 words
A warning system for aircraft comprising: a terrain awareness device for receiving and storing terrain information relative to a position of an aircraft; a visual display for displaying terrain and weather information to the pilot; and a controller for automatically determining when the terrain information is displayed and when the weather information is displayed.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
44 words
A method for displaying terrain information to a pilot of an aircraft comprising: receiving terrain information relative to a position of an aircraft; determining when the terrain information should be displayed; and visually displaying the terrain information on an existing display within the cockpit.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
44 words
A method for displaying terrain information to a pilot of an aircraft comprising: receiving terrain information relative to a position of an aircraft; determining when the terrain information should be displayed; and visually displaying the terrain information on an existing display within the cockpit.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 12 wherein the terrain information supplants the information on the existing display.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 12 wherein the existing display is a weather display.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 12 wherein the determining step is carried out by toggling a terrain selection switch.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 12 wherein the determining step is carried out automatically based on the severity of the terrain threat.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-10-24 | 2004-04-24 | 2004-10-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-10-24 | 2008-04-24 | 2008-10-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-10-24 | 2012-04-24 | 2012-10-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |