Alarm methods and systems in the aircraft cockpit

Abstract

This disclosure relates to an alarm method and system in an aircraft cockpit. The method includes: determining that a second alarm is triggered while a first alarm is currently being played through a first audio playback channel, wherein the second alarm includes audio to be played; determining that the second alarm has a higher priority than the first alarm; determining that both the first alarm and the second alarm include human language; playing a prompt tone through a second audio playback channel, wherein the prompt tone does not include human language; terminating the playback of the first alarm and stopping the playback of the prompt tone after the smallest playback unit of the first alarm currently being played has completed playback; and playing the second alarm through either the first audio playback channel or the second audio playback channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of aviation applications, and more specifically to alarm methods and systems in the cockpit of aircraft. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the system design of civil aircraft (e.g., civil airplanes) is characterized by high integration and complexity. In order to effectively support the flight crew's flight and system management tasks, integrated alarm design is particularly important.

[0003] However, in the presence of multiple alarms triggered sequentially, the current alarm system management may lead to delays in the notification of alarms triggered later with shorter intervals, especially for voice alarms. This is detrimental to the crew's timely understanding of the aircraft's current status.

[0004] This disclosure addresses, but is not limited to, the many factors mentioned above.

[0005] Public content

[0006] To address this, this disclosure provides an audio prompting method and system for alerting crew members to higher-priority or more urgent alarms under multiple alarm conditions in an aircraft cockpit, enabling the crew to be aware of the aircraft status more promptly and take appropriate action. The method and system of this disclosure manage alarm audio playback channels to more effectively help the crew quickly grasp the aircraft status under multiple alarm conditions. If a second alarm occurs during the playback of the audio for the currently active first alarm, the method and system of this disclosure perform the following operations: 1) Determine whether the second alarm has a higher priority based on the alarm audio sorting algorithm, the current aircraft alarm status, and relevant handling principles; if not, add the second alarm to the alarm audio queue for management; 2) Otherwise, determine whether both the first and second alarms include human language. This is mainly because the expression of the speech unit needs to be complete to accurately convey information, and the simultaneous playback of two speech units including human language would affect recognizability. If both the first and second alarms involve human speech, a special-purpose alert tone (requiring a unique timbre that is clearly distinguishable from other alarm tones and does not include human speech) is immediately played through the second audio playback channel. After the smallest playback unit of the first alarm in the first audio playback channel finishes playing, the playback of the first alarm in the first audio playback channel and the alert tone in the second audio playback channel cease, and the second alarm begins playing in either the first or second audio playback channel. This allows for faster alerting of the crew to situations requiring attention or action and enables quicker communication of the aircraft's status.

[0007] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, an alarm method for an aircraft cockpit is provided, comprising: determining that a second alarm is triggered while a first alarm is currently being played through a first audio playback channel, wherein the second alarm includes audio to be played; determining that the second alarm has a higher priority than the first alarm; determining that both the first alarm and the second alarm include human language; playing a prompt tone through a second audio playback channel, wherein the prompt tone does not include human language; terminating the playback of the first alarm and stopping the playback of the prompt tone after the smallest playback unit of the first alarm currently being played has completed playback; and playing the second alarm through either the first audio playback channel or the second audio playback channel.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the method further includes: determining that either the first alarm or the second alarm does not include human language; and playing the second alarm through the second audio playback channel.

[0009] According to another embodiment, the method further includes, if the priority of the second alarm is lower than that of the first alarm, queuing the audio included in the second alarm into a playback queue according to its priority.

[0010] According to another embodiment, determining that the priority of the second alarm is higher than that of the first alarm includes looking up the priorities of both the first alarm and the second alarm from a table containing the priorities of the alarms.

[0011] According to yet another embodiment, the method further includes displaying visual information related to the second alarm on a display screen inside the aircraft cockpit.

[0012] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, an alarm system for an aircraft cockpit is provided, comprising: an alarm generator and an alarm manager, wherein the alarm generator is configured to generate an alarm based on the condition of the aircraft and transmit the generated alarm to the alarm manager; and the alarm manager is configured to: determine that a second alarm is triggered while a first alarm is currently being played through a first audio playback channel, wherein the second alarm includes audio to be played; determine that the second alarm has a higher priority than the first alarm; determine that both the first alarm and the second alarm include human language; play a prompt tone through a second audio playback channel, wherein the prompt tone does not include human language; terminate the playback of the first alarm and stop the playback of the prompt tone after the smallest playback unit of the first alarm currently being played has finished playing; and play the second alarm through either the first audio playback channel or the second audio playback channel.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the alarm manager is further configured to: determine that either the first alarm or the second alarm does not include human language; and play the second alarm through the second audio playback channel.

[0014] According to another embodiment, the alarm manager is further configured to queue the audio included in the second alarm according to its priority when the priority of the second alarm is lower than that of the first alarm.

[0015] According to another embodiment, determining that the priority of the second alarm is higher than that of the first alarm includes looking up the priorities of both the first alarm and the second alarm from a table containing the priorities of the alarms.

[0016] According to yet another embodiment, the alarm manager is also configured to display visual information related to the second alarm on a display screen in the aircraft cockpit.

[0017] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, an aircraft is provided, including the warning system described in the second aspect of this disclosure.

[0018] The aspects generally include, as substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings and as explained by the drawings, methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, and processing systems.

[0019] The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the examples according to this disclosure so that the following detailed description may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described thereafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be readily used as the basis for modifying or designing other structures for implementing the same purposes as this disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, in both their organization and manner of operation, and their associated advantages, will be better understood by considering the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each drawing is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes and does not define any limitation on the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To gain a more detailed understanding of the features described above in this disclosure, reference can be made to various aspects of the above-briefly summarized content, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope, as other equivalent aspects are permissible in this description. Identical reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating an example alarm method in an aircraft cockpit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example warning system in the cockpit of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Currently, aircraft (such as civil aircraft) are increasingly adopting centralized alarm systems, eliminating the need for separate alarms from traditional instruments and introducing a more comprehensive alarm management mechanism, partially addressing the lack of order in cockpit alarms. Furthermore, with the increasing focus on crew alarm systems in recent years, and the stricter airworthiness requirements for crew alarms imposed by civil aviation organizations worldwide, the integrated application of visual, auditory, and tactile alarms in the cockpit places higher and more comprehensive demands on aircraft designers.

[0025] In particular, with the improvement of airborne equipment capabilities, the audio alarms in the cockpit have gradually shifted from a single alarm tone to alarm tones, synthesized speech, and even a combination of tone and speech. More and more alarms are beginning to use synthesized speech as an auditory presentation method.

[0026] The inventors recognized that auditory cues in the cockpit are more direct and instinctive than visual displays, especially with the advent of synthesized speech, which has greatly improved the crew's ability to perceive alarm status through hearing. However, considering the need for distinctiveness, auditory alarms generally only allow one synthesized speech alarm to be played at a time. Therefore, with the increasing number of synthesized speech alarms in the cockpit, it is necessary to consider the problem that if a new alarm is triggered while the current one is playing, the subsequent alarm may be delayed (waiting for the previous one to finish playing). Especially when the later-triggered alarm has a higher priority or a higher requirement for timeliness, ensuring the crew's immediate perception of alarms has become a pressing issue for alarm management.

[0027] The inventors recognized that, under foreseeable multiple alarm conditions, flight crews should be able to quickly and easily detect and understand alarms in the cockpit. According to AC25.1322-1 recommendation, the voice used for alarms should clearly express the suggested action or system status. Therefore, from a human factors perspective, when a voice message (alarm or non-alarm) is playing, for subsequently triggered alarms requiring immediate crew intervention, there may be a certain degree of delay in the alarm audio, hindering the crew's immediate perception of the aircraft's status.

[0028] To address the delay in notifications of subsequently triggered alarms, particularly the delay in their audio, this disclosure proposes an audio prompting method and system for alerting crew members to higher-priority or more urgent alarm states under multiple alarm conditions in an aircraft cockpit, enabling the crew to be aware of the aircraft status more promptly. The method and system of this disclosure manage the alarm audio playback channels to more effectively help the crew quickly grasp the aircraft status under multiple alarm conditions. If a second alarm occurs during the playback of the audio for the currently activated first alarm, the method and system of this disclosure perform the following operations: 1) Determine whether the subsequently triggered second alarm has a higher priority based on the alarm audio sorting algorithm, the current aircraft alarm status, and relevant handling principles; if not, add the subsequently triggered alarm to the alarm audio queue for management; 2) Otherwise, determine whether both the first and second alarms include human language. This is mainly because the expression of the speech unit needs to be complete to accurately convey information, and the simultaneous playback of two speech units including human language would affect recognizability. If both the first and second alarms involve human speech, a special-purpose alert tone (requiring a unique timbre that is clearly distinguishable from other alarm tones and does not include human speech) is immediately played through the second audio playback channel. After the smallest playback unit of the first alarm in the first audio playback channel finishes playing, the playback of the first alarm in the first audio playback channel and the alert tone in the second audio playback channel cease, and the second alarm begins playing in either the first or second audio playback channel. This allows for faster alerting of the crew to situations requiring attention or action and enables quicker communication of the aircraft's status.

[0029] The detailed description that follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. This detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details.

[0030] refer to Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an example alarm method 100 in an aircraft cockpit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, method 100 may include, in block 110, determining that a second alarm is triggered while a first alarm is currently being played through a first audio playback channel. In one embodiment, the second alarm includes audio that needs to be played.

[0032] Next, in box 120, method 100 may include determining that the priority of the second alarm is higher than that of the first alarm. In one embodiment, the priority levels of various alarms of the aircraft need to be determined according to the provisions of airworthiness regulations. According to the regulations, warning level alarms are situations that require immediate detection and response from the flight crew, such as fire alarms (engine fire, cargo compartment fire, etc.); while alert level alarms are situations that require immediate detection and subsequent response, meaning they can be dealt with later, and the timeliness requirement is not as high as that of warning level alarms, such as BARO SET DISAGREE (inconsistent pressure references tuned between the left and right crews). Therefore, for example, if the currently played first alarm voice is at the alert level, and the subsequently triggered second alarm voice is at the warning level, then the priority of the second alarm can be determined to be higher than that of the first alarm.

[0033] To give another example, within the warning level, there is a further category of time-critical warnings with higher urgency requirements. These are usually related to attitude and path control, and have higher priority (although they belong to the same warning category). For instance, if an engine fire warning (ENG FIRE) is triggered first (a warning level warning), and then a stall or pull-up warning is triggered, the pilot must prioritize the latter. This means adjusting attitude and path control to bring the aircraft to a relatively safe state before proceeding with the engine fire warning according to the electronic checklist procedures. Therefore, a stall or pull-up warning has higher priority.

[0034] To give another example, if both the first warning and the second warning that is triggered are time-critical warnings, and both are related to attitude and flight path, their priorities can be determined based on their urgency. For instance, if both a STALL and PULL UP warning occur, generally, the STALL warning should be addressed first. This is because once the aircraft enters a deep stall, it becomes uncontrollable. While a PULL UP warning is also urgent, it still provides about 30 seconds of leeway for takeoff, during which the aircraft remains controllable, but carries a high risk of crashing. In this case, priority should be given to recovering from the STALL warning, and once the aircraft is under control, it should be recovered to ground level as quickly as possible.

[0035] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the priorities of each alarm can be pre-sorted and stored in a table or other suitable data structure. Thus, method 100 can look up the priorities of the first alarm and the second alarm by querying the table, and subsequently determine that the second alarm has a higher priority than the first alarm.

[0036] Continue to refer to Figure 1In box 130, method 100 may include determining that both the first alarm and the second alarm include human speech. This is primarily because two voices including human speech, played simultaneously, may interfere with each other, affecting clear distinction. It will be understood that, as used herein, the term "human speech" means recorded and / or synthesized speech using human speech.

[0037] In box 140, method 100 may include playing a prompt tone via a second audio playback channel. In one embodiment of this disclosure, the prompt tone does not include human language to avoid interfering with a first alarm being played via a first audio playback channel. Further according to this embodiment, the prompt tone has a distinctive timbre and can be clearly distinguished from any other alarm tone to avoid confusing the pilot. In yet another embodiment of this disclosure, the rhythm of the prompt tone may vary depending on the priority of the second alarm. For example, the higher the priority of the second alarm, the higher the pitch or the more frequently the prompt tone may be repeated.

[0038] In box 150, method 100 may include terminating playback of the first alarm and stopping the playback of the alert tone on the second audio playback channel after the smallest playback unit currently playing the first alarm has finished playing, and then in box 160, method 100 may include playing the second alarm via the first audio playback channel or the second audio playback channel.

[0039] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the first audio playback channel can serve as the main audio playback channel, enabling the playback of corresponding alarms according to their priorities and in accordance with alarm queue management principles. The second audio playback channel can be dedicated to playing a special prompt tone indicating that a high-priority alarm is occurring, either simultaneously with the alarm voice or, in the case of multiple alarms where both alarms include human speech.

[0040] Considering that simultaneous playback of two audio messages would not cause confusion if one of them does not include human language (e.g., a beeping tone would not confuse the crew's understanding of played human language), in another embodiment of this disclosure, method 100 may optionally include determining that either the first alarm or the second alarm does not include human language, and playing the second alarm on a second audio playback channel. Thus, the higher-priority second alarm can be played immediately while the first alarm is playing, allowing the crew to be informed of the aircraft's status more promptly.

[0041] In yet another embodiment of this disclosure, if it is determined that the priority of the second alarm is lower than that of the first alarm, method 100 may optionally include queuing the audio included in the second alarm into a playback queue according to its priority. In this embodiment, if there is more than one alarm audio to be played in the playback queue, these audios may be arranged according to priority, such that the audio with higher priority is played first, regardless of the triggering order of these alarm audios.

[0042] To further alert the crew, in another embodiment of this disclosure, method 100 may optionally include displaying visual information related to the second alarm on a display screen within the aircraft cockpit. In this embodiment, the displayed visual information may be highlighted, flashed, have its colors changed, etc., to enhance the alertness to the crew. In yet another embodiment, method 100 may also optionally include vibrating the seat, steering wheel, joystick, etc., to further alert the crew to the triggering of the second alarm.

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example alarm system 200 in the cockpit of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the alarm system 200 may include an alarm generator 201 and an alarm manager 203, wherein the alarm generator 201 may be configured to generate alarms based on the aircraft's condition and transmit the generated alarms to the alarm manager 203.

[0045] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the alarm manager 203 may be configured to: determine that a second alarm is triggered while a first alarm is currently being played through a first audio playback channel, wherein the second alarm includes audio that needs to be played; determine that the second alarm has a higher priority than the first alarm; determine that both the first alarm and the second alarm include human language; play a notification sound through the second audio playback channel, wherein the notification sound does not include human language; terminate the playback of the first alarm and stop the playback of the notification sound on the second audio playback channel after the smallest playback unit of the first alarm currently being played has finished playing; and play the second alarm through either the first audio playback channel or the second audio playback channel.

[0046] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the alarm manager 203 may also be configured to determine that either the first alarm or the second alarm does not include human language; and to play the second alarm via a second audio playback channel.

[0047] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the alarm manager 203 may also be configured to queue the audio included in the second alarm according to its priority when the priority of the second alarm is lower than that of the first alarm.

[0048] In yet another embodiment of this disclosure, determining that the priority of the second alarm is higher than that of the first alarm may include looking up the priorities of the first alarm and the second alarm from a table containing the priorities of the alarms.

[0049] In yet another embodiment of this disclosure, the alarm manager 203 may also be configured to display visual information of a second alarm on a display screen in the aircraft cockpit.

[0050] Those skilled in the art will understand that the alarm manager 203 can be implemented by an onboard computer or can be a standalone functional module.

[0051] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the first audio playback channel can serve as the main audio playback channel, enabling the playback of corresponding alarms according to their priorities and in accordance with alarm queue management principles. The second audio playback channel can be dedicated to playing a special prompt tone indicating that a high-priority alarm is occurring, either simultaneously with the alarm voice or, in the case of multiple alarms where both alarms include human speech.

[0052] Considering that simultaneous playback of two audio messages would not cause confusion if one of them does not include human language (e.g., a beeping tone would not confuse the crew's understanding of the played human language), in another embodiment of this disclosure, the alarm manager 203 can also be configured to determine that either the first alarm or the second alarm does not include human language, and to play the second alarm through the second audio playback channel. Thus, the higher-priority second alarm can be played immediately while the first alarm is playing, allowing the crew to be informed of the aircraft's status more promptly.

[0053] In another embodiment of this disclosure, if it is determined that the priority of the second alarm is lower than that of the first alarm, the alarm manager 203 may also be configured to queue the audio included in the second alarm according to its priority. In this embodiment, if there is more than one alarm audio to be played in the playback queue, these audios can be arranged according to priority, such that the audio with higher priority is played first, regardless of the triggering order of these alarm audios.

[0054] To further alert the crew, in another embodiment of this disclosure, the alarm manager 203 may also be configured to display visual information related to the second alarm on a display screen in the aircraft cockpit. In this embodiment, the displayed visual information may be highlighted, flashed, or have its color changed, etc., to enhance the alerting of the crew. In yet another embodiment, the alarm manager 203 may also be configured to vibrate the seat, steering wheel, control stick, etc., to further alert the crew to the triggering of the second alarm.

[0055] although Figure 2 The diagram shows that the alarm system 200 includes only an alarm generator 201 and an alarm manager 203. Those skilled in the art will understand that these two modules are relevant modules of the technical solution disclosed herein. The alarm system 200 may also include any other suitable components or modules, such as an audio processing module for processing audio from an audio playback channel, speakers and / or headphones for playing audio, various interface components, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0056] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example aircraft 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the aircraft 300 may include, according to... Figure 2 The alarm system 200 shown and described.

[0057] As described above, in situations with multiple alarms, especially in scenarios where later-triggered alarms have higher priority or require immediate crew action but are subject to a brief delay, the methods and systems disclosed herein can alert the crew through special prompts and alarm management methods across different audio playback channels, and help pilots quickly and easily identify the alarms that require the most urgent action.

[0058] The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate specific embodiments that can be practiced by way of illustration. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples may include elements other than those shown or described. However, examples including the shown or described elements are also contemplated. Furthermore, examples of any combination or arrangement of those elements shown or described are contemplated, or with reference to specific examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein, or with reference to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.

[0059] In the appended claims, the terms “comprising” and “including” are open-ended, meaning that a system, apparatus, article of manufacture, or process containing elements other than those listed after such terms in a claim is still considered to fall within the scope of that claim. Furthermore, in the appended claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used merely as designations and are not intended to indicate a numerical order of their contents.

[0060] Furthermore, the order of operations described in this specification is exemplary. In alternative embodiments, the operations may be performed in a different order than that shown in the accompanying drawings, and the operations may be combined into a single operation or broken down into more operations.

[0061] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the examples described above (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in conjunction with other embodiments. Other embodiments may be used by those skilled in the art after reviewing the above description. The abstract allows the reader to quickly determine the nature of this technical disclosure. This abstract is submitted and it is understood that it is not intended to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Furthermore, in the above detailed description, various features may be grouped together to make this disclosure flow smoothly. However, the claims may not state every feature disclosed herein, as embodiments may characterize a subset of said features. Furthermore, embodiments may include fewer features than those disclosed in a particular example. Therefore, the appended claims are thus incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim existing independently as a separate embodiment. The scope of the embodiments disclosed herein should be determined by reference to the full scope of the appended claims and equivalents of such claims.

Claims

1. An alarm method for an aircraft cockpit, comprising: A second alarm is triggered when it is determined that a first alarm is being played through a first audio playback channel, wherein the second alarm includes audio that needs to be played; The priority of the second alarm is determined to be higher than that of the first alarm; It was determined that both the first alarm and the second alarm included human language; A prompt tone is played via a second audio playback channel, wherein the prompt tone does not include human language; After the smallest playback unit currently playing the first alarm finishes playing, stop playing the first alarm and stop playing the prompt sound. as well as The second alarm is played through either the first audio playback channel or the second audio playback channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Determine that either the first alarm or the second alarm does not include human language; and play the second alarm through the second audio playback channel.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes queuing the audio included in the second alarm into the playback queue according to its priority when the priority of the second alarm is lower than that of the first alarm.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining that the second alarm has a higher priority than the first alarm involves looking up the priorities of both the first alarm and the second alarm from a table containing the priorities of the alarms.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes displaying visual information related to the second alarm on a screen inside the aircraft cockpit.

6. An alarm system in the cockpit of an aircraft, comprising: An alarm generator and an alarm manager, wherein the alarm generator is configured to generate alarms based on the aircraft's condition and transmit the generated alarms to the alarm manager; and The alarm manager is configured to: A second alarm is triggered when it is determined that a first alarm is being played through a first audio playback channel, wherein the second alarm includes audio that needs to be played; The priority of the second alarm is determined to be higher than that of the first alarm; It was determined that both the first alarm and the second alarm included human language: A prompt tone is played via a second audio playback channel, wherein the prompt tone does not include human language; After the smallest playback unit currently playing the first alarm finishes playing, stop playing the first alarm and stop playing the prompt sound. as well as The second alarm is played through either the first audio playback channel or the second audio playback channel.

7. The alarm system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The alarm manager is also configured to: It is determined that either the first alarm or the second alarm does not include human language; and The second alarm is played through the second audio playback channel.

8. The alarm system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The alarm manager is also configured to queue the audio included in the second alarm according to its priority if the priority of the second alarm is lower than that of the first alarm.

9. The alarm system according to claim 6, characterized in that, Determining that the second alarm has a higher priority than the first alarm involves looking up the priorities of both the first alarm and the second alarm from a table containing the priorities of the alarms.

10. The alarm system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The alarm manager is also configured to display visual information related to the second alarm on a display screen in the aircraft cockpit.

11. An aircraft comprising an alarm system according to any one of claims 6-10.

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