Adaptive Runway Visual Aid Intensity on Aircraft Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cockpit display systems, such as Head-Up Displays (HUD) and Head-Down Displays (HDD), face challenges in providing clear runway information to pilots during approach procedures, as runway markings can create clutter and distract pilots with constant intensity and brightness, obscuring the real-world view.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for generating runway visual aids on aircraft display units, where the intensity of visual aids, such as runway markings, varies based on the aircraft's approach phase of flight, using navigation, reference, and weather data, processed by an image generating processor to present adaptive visual aids on HUD or HDD units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If runway markings are displayed with constant intensity and brightness on the display unit, then pilot situational awareness of the runway environment is improved, but display clutter increases and pilot frustration increases when the actual runway is in sight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the intensity of runway markings variable rather than constant. The system dynamically adjusts the intensity based on the aircraft's position relative to the runway, transitioning from high intensity when distant to low or zero intensity when close, thereby eliminating clutter while maintaining situational awareness throughout the approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the intensity parameter of the runway markings as a function of the aircraft's position. By modifying this parameter dynamically during the approach phase, the system resolves the contradiction between providing information and avoiding clutter - high intensity when needed for awareness, low intensity when avoiding distraction.
2Loss of information
If runway markings are displayed with constant intensity on the display unit, then runway information is always visible, but the real-world view outside the aircraft is obscured during approach
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts marking intensity based on proximity to the runway. When the aircraft is distant, markings are displayed at high intensity for information visibility. As the aircraft approaches, the intensity automatically reduces, allowing the pilot's view of the real-world runway to remain clear and unobstructed.
Solution Approach 2:
The intensity parameter of the runway markings is changed as a function of aircraft position during approach. This parameter change enables the system to adapt the display to the current flight phase, ensuring information availability when needed and clear vision of the actual runway when the aircraft is close.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If runway markings are displayed with constant brightness on the display unit, then the markings remain prominent throughout the approach, but pilot frustration increases when landing
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes the marking brightness dynamic rather than static. Brightness is high during the initial approach phase when pilots need orientation information, then automatically reduces as the aircraft nears the runway, eliminating frustration caused by persistent markings that interfere with the actual landing visual contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The brightness parameter is changed as a function of the aircraft's position and approach phase. This adaptive parameter change ensures markings are prominent when needed for navigation and orientation, then fade when they become sources of frustration during the critical landing phase.
Data Source
AI summary
A present novel and non-trivial system, apparatus, and method for generating runway visual aids on an aircraft display unit, where such visual aids could be comprised of surface markings corresponding to the runway. Navigation data and runway data may be provided to an image generating processor which, in turn, generates an image data set representative of at least one visual aid corresponding to one runway located in the scene outside the aircraft. The intensity or brightness of a visual aid could vary when the aircraft is operating on the approach phase of flight. The variation of such intensity could be defined as a function of the navigation data and the data representative of one or more waypoints. The image data set may be provided to a Head-Down Display unit, a Head-Up Display unit, or both, each visual aid is presented on the screen of the display unit.