Aircraft Flight Information System for Detecting Separation Violations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems for aircraft lack effective methods to gather and analyze airspace data, generate pilot-relevant displays, and reduce pilot workload, especially in low-altitude operations and for conventionally-piloted aircraft, as they do not provide clear guidance on navigating complex airspace scenarios.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft flight information system that determines estimated flight paths and proximity of aircraft to identify potential separation violation conditions, generating displays with maps and graphical features to indicate navigation alert regions, thereby reducing pilot workload and improving situational awareness by providing consistent and prioritized information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If DAA systems provide comprehensive airspace data to pilots, then pilot situational awareness is improved, but pilot workload increases due to information overload
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments airspace information into distinct categories (protected airspace, navigation alert regions, other aircraft) and presents them separately on the display, allowing pilots to access comprehensive information without being overwhelmed by a single mass of data
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-processes airspace data to identify and highlight only the most critical information (separation violations, navigation alert regions) before presenting it to the pilot, so that pilots receive prioritized information rather than raw comprehensive data
2Loss of information
If DAA systems display detailed airspace information, then pilot situational awareness is improved, but display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different visual characteristics to different regions of the display based on their informational importance - navigation alert regions use distinctive colors and patterns, while other airspace information uses more subdued visual properties, allowing comprehensive information to be displayed without uniform complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses graphical overlays on a map display to represent multiple layers of airspace information simultaneously, adding visual dimensions (colors, symbols, transparency) to encode different types of data without increasing horizontal or vertical display space
3Ease of operation
If DAA systems provide navigation guidance, then pilot decision-making is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system acts as an intermediary between raw airspace data and pilot decision-making by automatically processing data to identify navigation alert regions and separation violations, then presenting these processed results to the pilot without requiring the pilot to perform complex analysis themselves
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of generating an aircraft display includes determining an estimated first flight path of a first aircraft and determining an estimated second flight path of a second aircraft. The method also includes determining an estimated proximity of the first aircraft and the second aircraft based on the estimated flight paths. The method further includes, based on the estimated proximity indicating a projected separation violation condition, determining a navigation alert region. The method also includes generating a display that includes a map, a first graphical feature overlaying the map and representing of the first aircraft, a second graphical feature overlaying the map and representing of the second aircraft, and a third graphical feature overlaying the map and indicating dimensions of the navigation alert region.