Aircraft Piloting Absence Detection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Crews may not be aware of autopilot disconnection in aircraft due to high workload, misunderstandings, or alarms being masked, leading to unsafe situations where the aircraft is neither manually nor automatically piloted.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that detect the absence of both manual and automatic piloting by calculating a tolerated time interval based on altitude, vertical speed, heading, and trajectory deviation, and issue an alert when both are absent for this duration, using sensors and logic gates to monitor control sticks and autopilot activity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional autopilot warning systems are used, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the crew may not become aware of autopilot disconnection due to high workload, misunderstandings, or masked alarms
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the state of both manual and automatic piloting and provides feedback through alerts when the aircraft enters an unsafe state (both piloting modes absent). This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures the crew is reliably notified of critical situations despite high workload or masked alarms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system calculates a time interval in advance based on flight parameters (altitude, vertical speed, heading, trajectory deviation) and monitors whether the absent state persists beyond this interval. By preparing the detection criteria beforehand and using preliminary calculation of safe time intervals, the system achieves reliable detection without requiring complex real-time decision-making during critical moments.
2Reliability
If a fixed time interval alert system is used, then the system is simple to implement, but it does not account for varying flight conditions and trajectory deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the monitoring criteria based on current flight conditions. The time interval for tolerating absent piloting is calculated based on altitude, vertical speed, heading, and trajectory deviation. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain high detection accuracy across varying flight conditions without requiring overly complex fixed-threshold systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the detection parameters (time interval threshold) based on flight parameters such as altitude, vertical speed, heading, and trajectory deviation. By adjusting the critical threshold dynamically according to flight conditions, the system achieves accurate detection without requiring complex real-time analysis, as the parameters are updated based on pre-established calculation rules.
3Reliability
If the system monitors only autopilot status, then the monitoring is simple, but it cannot detect situations where the aircraft is neither manually nor automatically piloted
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system is segmented into two independent detection modules: one for manual piloting status and one for automatic piloting status. By dividing the monitoring function into separate segments, the system achieves comprehensive detection capability while keeping each module relatively simple. The alert is generated only when both segments indicate absence of piloting, providing reliable comprehensive monitoring without excessive complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
According to the invention, as a function of the altitude, the vertical speed and the heading of the aircraft, as well as of the deviation of the actual trajectory of the aircraft with respect to the automatic trajectory, a time interval (T) is determined, during which it is tolerable for said aircraft to be able to fly without any control command, both on the part of the stick (1) and on that of said automatic pilot (2) and an alert is emitted for the attention of the crew in the case where it is noted that the absences of manual piloting and of automatic piloting extend simultaneously over a duration at least equal to said time interval (T).