Aircraft Data Validation via Dynamic API Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a connected cockpit environment, applications serving multiple aircraft types face challenges in providing user-friendly data entry guidance due to varying limits for aircraft-specific data items, such as maximum cruise altitude, which can lead to incorrect data entry by users.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a graphical user interface (GUI) with widgets for data entry, where data attributes including minimum and maximum values are requested from a flight management engine via an API, restricting and validating data entry in accordance with these limits, ensuring accurate data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an application serves multiple different aircraft, then the application's versatility is improved, but the ability to provide aircraft-specific data entry guidance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (data attribute retrieval system using API) that mediates between the multi-aircraft application and the flight management engine. This intermediary dynamically fetches aircraft-specific data attributes (min/max values, units, constraints) from the flight management engine based on the specific aircraft being served, allowing the application to maintain versatility while providing accurate aircraft-specific guidance through the GUI.
2Manufacturing precision
If aircraft-specific limits are programmed into the application, then data entry accuracy is improved, but the application's ability to serve multiple aircraft deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic data attribute retrieval mechanism that adapts to different aircraft types in real-time. Instead of static programming for specific aircraft, the system dynamically queries the flight management engine for the current aircraft's data attributes (minimum values, maximum values, units, constraints) and adjusts the GUI accordingly, maintaining both accuracy and multi-aircraft versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters (data attributes) based on the specific aircraft being served. By retrieving aircraft-specific parameters such as minimum and maximum values, units, and constraints from the flight management engine through API calls, the application adjusts its data entry validation rules dynamically, ensuring accurate guidance for each aircraft type without requiring hard-coded limitations.
3Reliability
If data entry validation is performed onboard, then data integrity is improved, but the system complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flight management engine performs self-service by internally computing and managing data attributes (validation rules, constraints, limits) that it then exposes through its API. This allows the onboard system to validate data integrity using attributes provided by the flight management engine itself, maintaining reliability while avoiding the need for duplicate validation logic and reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method in an aircraft for the validation of variable data is provided. The method comprises: receiving a request from an application program to retrieve data attributes for at least one data item to be entered via a GUI provided by the application program; requesting, from the flight management engine using an API, the data attributes for the at least one data item, wherein the data attributes identify at least one limit for data entry for the at least one data item including a minimum and/or maximum value for the at least one data item; receiving the requested data attributes from the flight management engine; and transmitting the data attributes to the application program; wherein the application program restricts data entry for the at least one data item in conformance with each limit provided by the data attributes for the at least one data item.