GB2101322A

GB2101322A - Submarine vessel display system

Info

Publication number: GB2101322A
Application number: GB08214096A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham Booth Wright
Original assignee: Smiths Group PLC
Current assignee: Smiths Group PLC
Priority date: 1981-06-22
Filing date: 1982-05-18
Publication date: 1983-01-12
Also published as: FR2508161A1; NL8202043A; FR2508161B1; DE3219516A1; GB2101322B

Abstract

A display system for a submarine has a vector generator that supplies video signals to a cathode-ray tube (40) so as to produce a symbol (200) on its screen (42) representing the submarine. The orientation and location of the symbol on the screen is altered by the vector generator in accordance with the inputs from various sensors. The vector generator also produces a line symbol (110) on the screen representing the ordered depth of the vessel. This symbol (110) is moved towards the submarine symbol (200) as the vessel approaches its ordered depth, whilst the submarine symbol remains fixed. After the submarine has reached the ordered depth, subsequent change in actual depth causes the submarine symbol (200) to be displaced relative to the ordered depth symbol (110). The vector generator also produces digital numbers on the screen indicating various actual and ordered values, and causes these numbers to be displaced relative to one another as the values change relative to one another. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Submarine vessel display systems This invention relates to display systems for submarine vessels.

The various items of information about the performance and operation of a submarine vessel are, at present, represented on separate display units. There may therefore be individual displays in respect of such information as: depth and ordered depth, heading and ordered heading, pitch (trim) angle, forward planes angle, aft planes angle, rudder angle, rate of change of pitch angle, log speed, and shaft r.p.m. and ordered shaft r.p.m.

Obviously, with such a number of different factors to monitor, several people are usually required to monitor the various displays.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display system that may be used to provide a display of several at least of the above items of information in a form that can be readily interpreted by the operator.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a display system including a display area for displaying information regarding the operation of a submarine vessel, the system including image generator means that is arranged to generate a display representation of the vessel in the display area and input means that is arranged to receive information regarding the attitude of vessel or its control surfaces, said image generator means being arranged to alter the display representation or its disposition in the area in accordance with said information.

The image generator means may be arranged to generate a first symbol representative of the actual depth of the vessel, and a second symbol representative of the ordered depth of the vessel, the generator means being arranged to effect relative displacement of said symbols in accordance with change in the difference between the actual depth and the ordered depth of the vessel. The generator means may be arranged to effect displacement in the display area of said second symbol as the actual depth of the vessel changes, the first symbol being maintained stationary within the display area until the actual depth is within a predetermined range of the ordered depth.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a display system including a display area for displaying information regarding the operation of a submarine vessel, the system including image generator means that is arranged to provide display of a first and second digital number in respect of an actual value and an ordered value respectively, and said image generator means being arranged to effect change both of the value of said numbers and the disposition of said numbers relative to one another in accordance with change in the ordered or actual values.

A display system for a submarine vessel will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the display system; and Figures 2 to 5 illustrate the display provided in different conditions.

With reference to Figure 1, the display system includes a control unit 1 and a display unit 2. The control unit 1 receives analogue imputs on lines 10 and digital inputs on lines 11 and is arranged to supply video output signals on lines 12 to control generation of the display by the display unit 2.

The control unit 1 has an analogue interface unit 14 to which the analogue input signals are supplied on lines 10 and which provides digital output signals on line 1 5 to a vector generator unit 1 6. The vector generator unit 1 6 also receives directly the digital inputs on lines 11. The inputs on lines 10 and 11 are derived from a compass 20, a vessel attitude sensor 21, a depth sensor 22, a forward planes angle sensor 23, an aft planes angle sensor 24, a vessel speed sensor or log 25, a shaft rotation speed sensor 26, and a rudder angle sensor 27. The control unit 1 also receives input signals in response to the ordered depth, the ordered heading and the ordered shaft rotational speed.

The vector generator unit 1 6 is of a well-known kind that is suitably programmed to generate video signals on line 30 representative of the various symbology to be displayed. These signals are supplied to an interface unit 31 that produces the output on line 12 that is in turn supplied to the display unit 2.

Power supply to the input and output interface units 14 and 31, and to the vector generator unit 1 6 are provided by a power supply unit 32 that in turn receives the power on line 33 from the vessel's supply.

The display unit 2 is of conventional construction having a cathode-ray tube 40 that is controlled by an amplifier and scan circuit 41 which receives the input signals on line 1 2. The cathode-ray tube 40 preferably has a redphosphor screen 42 and is mounted and protected in such a way that it is not easily damaged by vibration or shock. It will be appreciated that the cathode-ray tube 40 could be replaced by an array of, for example, light-emitting or -reflecting elements.

Auxiliary dislay units 2' may also be provided in the system.

Examples of the display produced on the screen 42 are shown in Figures 2 to 5. The display is produced cursively although raster scanning could also be used.

On the left-hand side of the screen 42 there is a vertical line 100 on opposite sides of which are displayed two boxes 101 and 102 both containing a digital representation of the same number "065". The larger, left-hand, box 101 shows the actual propelior shaft r.p.m. whilst the smaller, right-hand box 102 shows the ordered shaft r.p.m., that is, the desired shaft speed. The two r.p.m. boxes 101 and 102 can be moved vertically along the line 100 in accordance with the values of r.p.m., the digital numbers within the boxes varying with position. These two boxes 101 and 102 thereby provide both an analogue and digital representation of shaft speed whilst the vertical separation between the two boxes gives an indication of the difference between the ordered and actual speeds.

At the top of the vertical line 100 there is another box 105 in which the log speed, that is, the speed of the vessel relative to the water, is shown. The log speed is represented by three digits "043" of the rolling-digit kind, the leastsignificant digit being displaced up or down within the box 105 in accordance with change in log speed. In this way change in speed is readily apparent.

Alongside the log speed box 105 other information in textual form may be displayed.

At the bottom of the screen 42 there is a horizontal scale line 106 that is calibrated in degrees from 0 to 3600 in accordance with the vessel's heading. Only a part of the scale line 106 (about 30 ) appears on the screen at any time, the line being moved along its length as the vessel heading changes. Beneath the scale line 106, centrally of the screen 42 there is a fixed lubber line 107 that indicates the precise vessel heading against the scale line 106. Above the scale line 106 there is a box 108 in which there is a digital representation of the ordered vessel heading in degrees.

A small symbol 109 of oval shape representing the vessel's rudder position is displayed above the ordered heading box 108. The symbol is rotated to left or right in accordance with the actual setting of the rudder. To the left of this symbol 109 there is a two digit indication of the rudder angle.

A horizontal line 110 of dots or small circles extends across the screen 42 from the vertical line 1 00 at the left of the screen to a vertical depth scale 111 at the right of the screen. The horizontal line 110 represents ordered depth and is moved up or down the screen in accordance with changes in this value, being locked to the depth scale 111 which is also displaced vertically. To the right of the depth scale 111 there is a box 11 2 in which a digital representation of the ordered depth is provided.

Approximately mid-way up the screen there is displayed a symbol 200 representative of the submarine vessel itself which can be rotated about an axis at right angles to the length of the symbol and the plane of the screen 42. The symbol 200 is of the general shape of a submarine and has within it two short bar symbols 201 and 202 which are rotatable to represent the angle of the forward and aft planes respectively, that is, the control surfaces by which the attitude of the vessel in a vertical plane is controlled. A direction vector symbol 203 extends from the aft of the symbol 200 to a short distance outside its fore end. That portion of the direction vector symbol 203 which projects outside the submarine 200 is curved to indicate the rate of change of pitch angle. A small reference mark 204 is aligned with the axis of the submarine symbol.

A digital representation of the submarine attitude is provided beneath the submarine symbol 200 in the form of a three digit rolling number, showing the attitude to a tenth of a degree, together with a legend indicating whether the nose of the vessel is "DOWN" or "UP". Digital representations, to the nearest degree, are displayed above the bar symbols 201 and 202 giving the angle of the respective control plane together with a letter "D" or "R" indicating the orientation of the planes for dive or rise respectively.

A broken horizontal line 210 extends across the screen 42 through the submarine vessel symbol 200. This line represents the actual depth of the vessel and is terminated at its right end by a box 212. to the left of the depth scale 111 in which a digital representation of the actual depth is displayed. The box 21 2 shows the depth in a rolling-digit fashion to be nearest tenth of a metre.

When the vessel is diving to a set depth, for example, 30 metres as shown in Figure 2, the ordered depth line 110 is set at 30 metres and is moved up the screen 42 as the vessel dives. It will be appreciated that the scale lines 111 and the contents of the actual depth box 212 will also change as the actual depth of the vessel changes.

When the vessel reaches the ordered depth, the ordered depth line 110 will overlie the actual depth line 210 in the manner shown in Figure 3.

At this time the vessel may trim its control planes to maintain the same depth at a horizontal attitude. Figure 3 represents the vessel and its control planes at zero degrees; it will also be noted that the actual heading of the vessel has changed to about 1240 and that the rudder has been displaced to 300 to starboard to compensate for this and bring it back to the ordered heading of 1 500. It can be seen that, whilst the heading scale line 106 has been displaced so that it does not include the ordered heading value of 1 500, the ordered heading box 108 remains displayed at the extreme right of the screen.

Once the vessel has reached or come within a predetermined range of its ordered depth, the mode of presentation of the vessel symbol 200 and the ordered depth line 110 changes. The ordered depth symbol remains fixed on the screen 42 whilst any change in the actual depth of the vessel is represented by displacement of the vessel symbol itself, up or down the screen. In Figure 4 the vessel is shown to have risen above the ordered depth to about 20.0 metres making it readily apparent what is the necessary manner of correction of the vessel controls.

Excessive deviations from the ordered depth cause the vessel symbol 200 to reach the edge of the display area, at the top or bottom. When this happens, the display reverts to the original mode.

in which the ordered depth line is moved. The vessel symbol 200 is displaced towards the centre of the display area, the ordered depth line 110 also being displaced to maintain its separation from the vessel symbol until the ordered depth line reaches the edge of the screen where it remains stationary.

Other functions may be displayed on the screen, such as shown in Figure 5. In this Figure, two vertical lines 301 and 302 are displayed beneath the actual depth box 212. These lines indicate the depth that will be reached in one minute and three minutes respectively and are produced by the vector generator unit 1 6 from suitable calculation of the rate of dive.

It will be appreciated that the symbology presented in the display area could take many different forms and that the attitude of the vessel and its control surfaces, and the other information, could be shown in various ways, either analogue or digital or both.

Claims

1. A display system including a display area for displaying information regarding the operation of a submarine vessel, wherein the system includes image generator means that is arranged to generate a display representation of the vessel in the display area, and input means that is arranged to receive information regarding the attitude ot the vessel or its control surfaces, said image generator means being arranged to alter the display representation or its disposition in the area in accordance with said information.

2. A display system according to Claim 1, wherein the image generator means is arranged to generate a first symbol representative of the actual depth of the vessel, and a second symbol representative of the ordered depth of the vessel, and wherein said generator means is arranged to effect relative displacement of said symbols in accordance with change in the difference between the actual depth and the ordered depth of the vessel.

3. A display system according to Claim 2, wherein said generator means is arranged to effect displacement in the display area of said second symbol as the actual depth of the vessel changes, the first symbol being maintained stationary within the display area until the actual depth is within a predetermined range of the ordered depth.

4. A display system according to Claim 3, wherein the generator means is arranged to effect displacement of the first symbol upon change in the actual depth of the vessel subsequently to the actual depth coming within the predetermined range of the ordered depth.

5. A display system according to Claim 4, wherein the generator means is arranged to maintain the first symbol stationary and to effect displacement of the second symbol away from the first symbol when the actual depth changes away from the ordered depth and when said first symbol lies close to the edge of the display area.

6. A display system including a display area for displaying information regarding the operation of a submarine vessel, wherein the system includes image generator means that is arranged to provide display of a first and second digital number in respect of an actual value and an ordered value respectively, and wherein said image generator means is arranged to effect change both of the value of said numbers and the disposition of said numbers relative to one another in accordance with change in the ordered or actual values.

7. A display system according to Claim 6, wherein said actual and ordered values are values of the speed of the propeller shaft of the vessel.

8. A display system according to Claim 6, wherein the actual and ordered values are values of the depth of the vessel.

9. A display system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said generator means is arranged to generate a display representation of the forward and aft planes of the vessel, and wherein the generator means is arranged to alter the orientation of the display representation of the planes in accordance with change in the angle of said forward and aft planes.

10. A display system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said generator means is arranged to generate signals for producing a line symbol the curvature of which is representative of the rate of change of pitch angle of the vessel.

11. A display system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said generator means is arranged to generate signals for producing a rudder symbol representative of the rudder of the vessel and for varying the orientation of said rudder symbol in accordance with change in position of the rudder, and wherein said generator means is arranged to generate signals providing display ot a digital number representative of the angle of the rudder.

12. A display system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said display area is the screen of a cathode-ray tube.

1 3. A display system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A submarine vessel including a display system according to any one of the preceding claims.