A system for operating equipment, aircraft or other like vessels in a smoke filled environment. The system includes a face mask configured to surround a user's eyes and form an airtight seal against the user's face. The mask includes a screen viewable by the user for displaying critical operating system information that permits continued operation of the equipment or aircraft. A signal path means provides the display screen with appropriate signals from instrument display sources of the equipment or aircraft. One embodiment of the system includes a hand-operated communication device that enables non-verbal communication with others. Another embodiment of the system includes independently powered backup instruments covering minimum critical equipment or aircraft operating conditions. The backup instruments would be coupled to the mask by the signal path means in the event that the equipment or aircraft's instruments should become inoperable due to fire and/or electrical power interruption. Still another embodiment of the system includes a respirator which is integral with the mask and provides oxygen to the user.
An electronic cockpit vision system for a vision system to enable maintenance of control, in continued flight and landing, of an aircraft and its systems when the cockpit has become invaded with dense and continuous smoke. The system includes an electronic signal converter, a scanner, a windshield video camera, cockpit video camera, and smoke over-goggles equipped with two eye level electronic video display devices. The signal converter feeds its output into a video display equipped smoke qualified over-goggle, resulting in the display upon a virtual screen of information essential to emergency flight and landing. The virtual screen displays the information in appropriate depth perception for ease of comprehension.
An aircraft crew vision mask (10) is provided which is especially designed to be used during emergency flight conditions where smoke is present in the cockpit. Preferably, the mask (10) includes a transparent lens (14) supported by a peripheral face seal (16), and has a breathable gas mask (18). In order to provide important aircraft flight information to the wearer (12), the mask (10) is equipped with a display device such as a retinal scanning display device (26) having an output (28). The device (26) is operably coupled to an aircraft information input (46) which supplies digital information such as airspeed, attitude, altitude, heading, vertical speed, navigation information, video inputs or flight manual information to the device (26). A smoke condition sensor (48) and manual input control (50) serve to initiate operation of the device (26) with selective on/off and channel select control capability.
An emergency flight safety device for flight crew members (3) of an aircraft in an emergency situation. The device includes a full-face mask (1) and a display (31) that is integrated into the full face mask (1). The display shows flight data and ensures that the crew (3) has access to essential information even in the case when smoke otherwise largely blurs the view in the aircraft cabin. The emergency flight safety device also includes an oxygen and air supply apparatus (14-18) for supplying oxygen and air to the interior of the mask (1). The oxygen and air supply apparatus (14-18) includes a purification device to purify polluted cabin air in order to prevent the crew members (3) from being intoxicated by poisonous smoke.
