Aircraft Door Camera Monitoring for Wide-Angle Evacuation Awareness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft doors typically have limited windows that restrict viewing angles and require significant supporting structures, necessitating crew movement to assess the external environment, which can delay emergency evacuations and detract from operational duties.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating cameras within aircraft doors to provide wide-angle views of the external environment, analyzed by processors to generate alerts and guidance, replacing traditional windows and reducing the need for supporting structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional windows are used in aircraft doors, then structural strength is maintained, but viewing angle and window size are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses cameras to capture images of the external environment, creating a visual copy that is displayed on interior screens. This allows the crew to view the external environment without physically looking through limited windows, effectively replacing the window's viewing function with a camera-based visual copy system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical window structure with an electronic imaging system consisting of cameras, processors, and display devices. This substitution eliminates the need for large structural windows while providing enhanced viewing capabilities through electronic displays.
2Loss of information
If crew members move their heads and eyes to assess the external environment through limited windows, then situational awareness is improved, but time is lost and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates comprehensive visual copies of the external environment captured by multiple cameras, allowing crew members to obtain complete situational awareness information without physically moving their heads or eyes. The displayed images provide a broader field of view than physical windows, enabling faster assessment of the external environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The cameras continuously capture and display images of the external environment before emergencies occur, allowing crew members to maintain situational awareness without active scanning. During emergencies, the information is already available immediately, eliminating the need for time-consuming head and eye movements to assess the situation.
3Loss of information
If multiple cameras are installed to provide comprehensive views, then situational awareness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple camera feeds into a single integrated display system that shows comprehensive views of the external environment. The processor aggregates images from multiple cameras and presents them in a unified format on display screens, reducing the operational complexity despite using multiple cameras.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera system is designed to serve multiple functions: providing views for crew situational awareness, monitoring for safety warnings, and supporting various operational phases. This multi-functionality justifies the complexity by delivering comprehensive external environment monitoring through a single integrated system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A camera with a field of view toward an external environment of an aircraft is disposed within an aircraft door. A display device is disposed within an interior of the aircraft. A processor is operatively coupled to the camera and to the display device. The processor analyzes image data captured by the camera to provide alerts, automatic guidance, or other outputs that can reduce aircraft crew workload, thereby increasing crew efficiency as well as the safety of the aircraft crew and passengers during aircraft operation.