Aircraft Display Tactile Unit Cross-Pilot Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In aircraft cockpits, pilots are limited in their ability to interact with information displayed on the central screen from the other pilot's computer, complicating their work and risking interference with the avionic network.
Innovation Solution
An information system with a tactile unit on the display screen and a separate communication network between the tactile unit and the second computer, allowing users to control the information displayed without interfering with the avionic network, using a display management device that includes a display status indication module and control modules in each computer to manage and generate new information based on user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If information from one pilot's computer is displayed on the central screen, then the display management device can show the information, but the other pilot cannot act on the information displayed
Solution Approach 1:
A tactile unit is introduced as an intermediary device applied to the display screen, enabling the second pilot to interact with information from the first computer without directly accessing the first computer's control interface. The tactile unit receives touch inputs and transmits control signals through a separate communication network to modify displayed information, serving as a mediator between the display and the second pilot's control needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is segmented into independent components: the first computer generates information, the display management device handles display control, and the tactile unit provides independent interaction capability. This segmentation allows the second pilot to control displayed information through the tactile unit without interfering with the first computer's original control functions, enabling flexible cross-pilot interaction.
2Reliability
If a tactile unit is applied to the display screen with a separate communication network, then pilots can control information without interfering with the avionic network, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication architecture is segmented into three independent networks: the first communication network between the first computer and display management device, the second communication network between the second computer and display management device, and a third separate communication network between the tactile unit and the second computer. This segmentation isolates the tactile interaction from the critical avionic networks, protecting them from interference while enabling enhanced pilot interaction capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The tactile unit acts as an intermediary that interfaces with the second computer through a dedicated communication network, rather than directly accessing the display management device or the first computer. This intermediary approach allows pilot interaction while maintaining clear network boundaries and preventing interference with the protected avionic network.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the tactile unit communicates with the second computer through a separate network, then interference with the avionic network is prevented, but the control functionality is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The tactile unit provides universal interaction capability for controlling information displayed on the screen, regardless of the source computer. Through the separate communication network, the tactile unit can receive touch inputs and transmit control signals to the second computer, which then generates control commands to modify information from either the first or second computer displayed on the screen, enabling flexible cross-pilot control without network interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where the display management device transmits display status information back to the second computer, and the second computer generates new information based on this status and inputs from the tactile unit. This feedback mechanism ensures that control actions through the tactile unit are properly reflected in the displayed information, maintaining full control functionality despite the separate communication path.
Data Source
AI summary
An information system comprising a first computer and a second computer, a first display screen and a display management device connected to the first screen. Each computer communicates with the display management device by means of a communication network. The display management device allows control of the display of information from the first computer or from the second computer on the first display screen. A tactile unit is applied to the first display screen and an additional communication network, which is separate from the communication network between each computer and the display management device, allows the tactile unit to communicate with the second computer so that a user is easily able to act on the information displayed on the first screen without the risk of interference with the rest of the system.