Aircraft Canopy Reflection Reduction

A perennial problem for bubble canopy type aircraft has been canopy reflection of instrument panel instrument displays. The problem is accentuated at night when the images are highly visible. They are distracting and obscure local areas of the canopy. In military aircraft, this can be life threatening. Reflected images, on the canopy interfere with the pilot's long range vision potentially causing confusion, loss of visual acuity and possible disorientation of the pilot.

Pilot night vision systems can also be adversely affected.

Reflections of cockpit instruments by the canopy can interfere with a pilot's external vision, especially at night. This degradation in vision threatens mission success and crew safety. We have analyzed a broad range of techniques to reduce aircraft canopy reflections, particularly in military and general aviation aircraft having bubble type canopies. Several candidate technologies were identified, studied, found inadequate and discarded. Emphasis was given to passive technologies which are considered to require no retrofit of the aircraft structure and which are compatible with any size or shape of instrument or display. Passive technologies are inherently fail-safe, require no power, are easy to maintain and will not increase pilot workload. Computer modeling and analysis has been done on various candidate technologies. The candidate approaches for display reflection reduction were compared to each other according to:

a) display resolution

b) brightness and contrast

c) field of view limitations

d) expected reflection reduction

e) view bias angles (to maximize viewing by the pilot)

f) ease of implementation in the current display design

g) ease of manufacture and relative cost

h) a short list of manufacturers and suppliers was also accumulated.

After study and analysis of several different approaches including liquid crystal displays with angular sensitive color filters, tilted honeycomb boxes, tilted linear louvers, holographic light diffuser, discrete linear prism arrays, liquid crystal displays with fiber optic faceplate and others. After evaluation of all the studied approaches, it was determined that an optical wedge mounted to the faceplate of instruments provided the best combination of advantages including optical performance, ease of manufacture, ease of implementation, ruggedness and cost. This solution is straightforward and only requires:

1. Adding a passive, low cost, optical wedge to any troublesome instrument faceplate.

2. Only a simple retrofit is required with no change in any instrument or of the aircraft fuselage or canopy.

3. It works for all instruments including color liquid crystal displays.

The invention consists of an optical quality wedge attached to the face of any display. The wedge is normally oriented with its thin edge (apex) toward the canopy, and rotated so that the relevant crew member's eye position sees the minimum amount of ghost images. The wedge can be constructed from any material that efficiently transmits the display or panel light radiation, including filter glass that modifies the spectral transmission of the radiation to assist the use of pilot night vision aids.

The advantage of this invention is that the face plates are a simple inexpensive modification that can be applied to existing cockpit displays in all kinds of aircraft. For example, the wedge may be inexpensively stamped out of plastic such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The device works with both monochrome and multicolor displays, panel lights and all other sources of radiation in the cockpit.

Installation is accomplished merely by mounting a large single optical wedge made from either plastic or glass over the lighted cockpit panel which preferably covers the display window of each troublesome instrument or light source. The wedge refracts the display light rays down and away from the canopy so that light reflection from the canopy will not reach the pilot's eyes. The optical wedge, when made of optical grade glass or plastic, does not change display brightness when viewed within the design field of view.

An optical wedge model is illustrated in the following figures which were originally drawn by computer raytracing and CAD programs. This model uses a 10 degree wedge made from plastic having an index of refraction of 1.47. Other optical wedge models studied had angles up to 15 degrees and indices of refraction up to 2.5.

The electro-optical characteristics important to a good display are listed below:

a) resolution

b) brightness of contrast

c) field of view limitations

d) reflection reduction

e) viewing bias angles

f) ease of implementation

g) ease of manufacture

h) ruggedness

i) relative cost

j) figure of merit (FOM)

This invention meets these criteria.

This invention may be more clearly understood with the following detailed description and by reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a military aircraft cockpit region with ray traces from the instrument panel of typical canopy reflections;

FIG. 1a is a pilot's forward view showing the typical locations of unwanted canopy reflections;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the canopy and instrument console similar to FIG. 1 showing corrected ray traces resulting from use of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of an optical wedge for use on a square instrument display;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the optical wedge of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a circular optical wedge for use on a circular display;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the optical wedge of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is the equation for calculation of the wedge deviation angle for optical wedges installed on instrument displays;

FIG. 8 is a ray path diagram through the optical wedge of FIGS. 3 and 5; and

FIG. 9 is a graphical representation of the wedge angle versus output deviations in degrees for optical materials having different indices of refraction.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a modern military aircraft generally designated 10, with its canopy 11 extending over the pilot's station in which the pilot's range of head movement is represented by a partial sphere 12 and the same for the pilot's support officer 13. Also shown are headrests 12HR and 13HR.

The canopy 11 is typically a single formed plastic sheet capable of providing full hemisphere visibility for both occupants but particularly for the pilot represented by volume 12.

The instrument panel, which normally falls below the level of the canopy 11 and is represented as the source of the number of rays R directed toward the pilot, provides him with operational information. Unfortunately, the shape of canopy 11 is governed principally by aerodynamic design of the aircraft and produces unwanted reflections in the view of the pilot 12. These unwanted reflections are represented by the reflective ray traces RR. Additional unwanted reflections may be seen by the support officer, as well. Other reflections outside of the view of both pilot and auxiliary officer are identified in FIG. 1 by any reflection which does not strike either of the volumes 12 and 13 representing the ranges of positions of their head movements. It should be noted that there are numerous unwanted reflections RR facing the pilot at position 12.

The pilot's view forward through the canopy 11 is shown in FIG. 1A. Unwanted canopy reflections are shown in several areas of his forward and side version. These are, or may, be reflections from various instruments such as DDI-Digital Display Indicator (Engine), EFD-Engine Fuel Display, ECM-Clock/Altimeter, MPC-Multipurpose Color Display, Reflections from Right and Left Hand Consoles, etc.

In FIG. 2 the same aircraft is shown as in FIG. 1 but employing our invention in which unwanted reflections are diverted outside of the volume 12 of pilot's head movement. Other reflections are totally reflected inside the wedge and also do not reach volume 12. Some of the reflections reach the auxiliary officer represented by 13, but normally his functions in the aircraft are minimally effected by such reflections. This diversion of reflections has been accomplished without modifying instruments making changes in the canopy or the like. The optical wedge for a square display instrument is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and for round display instruments in FIGS. 5 and 6. A single wedge 20 of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 may have a typical dimension of 5".times.5". In FIG. 3, the wedge is shown as having an angle of 10.degree. and extends from approximately 1/4" in thickness at its upper edge to 11/2" at its lower edge. The wedge is of optical grade with ground or molded surfaces, front 20F and rear 20R. The edges of the wedge outside of the display area may include grooves or other mounting and removal details for the particular installation.

The wedge is normally installed as described with its thinner or narrower edge toward the top or canopy and the thicker edge toward the lower edge of the instrument panel. Once installed in this manner the wedge may be rotated somewhat so that the pilot will see the minimum amount of unwanted images.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a circular wedge 30 having a front surface 30F may be seen with a similar wedge angle of 10.degree. and having a rear surface 30R.

FIG. 7 is the equation for calculation of the wedge deviation angle for optical wedges installed on instrument displays.

FIG. 8 shows the ray patterns from a point source in the display 22 indicated as the phosphor source at the center region of the display 22. Rays pass through an air gap 23 and wedge 20. The useful rays are bracketed as "to pilot's eye" and other rays which reflect from the canopy no longer reach the pilot's eyes in the volume of head movement 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The auxiliary officer's eyes in the rear seat are subject to internal reflection from the wedge but usually do not interfere with his tasks. FIG. 8 also shows rays which are totally reflected within the wedge 20 and so do not reach the pilot's eyes.

The output deviation angle in degrees from any given wedge angle and index of refraction may be calculated employing the equation of FIG. 7 or from the graphical presentation of FIG. 9. Ray tracing as is shown in FIG. 2 is effective in determining the desired output deviation angles.

The above described embodiments of the present invention are merely descriptive of its principles and are not to be considered limiting. The scope of the present invention instead shall be determined from the scope of the following claims including their equivalents.