Alternative Aircraft Piloting Interface for Single-Pilot Safety Backup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Converting a conventional airliner into a single-pilot cargo plane poses challenges in ensuring safety and security, particularly in the event of autopilot failure or pilot unavailability, while minimizing additional certification costs and maintaining flight safety.
Innovation Solution
An alternative piloting system is integrated into the aircraft, comprising a piloting device independent of original systems, an acquisition and analysis device, and an interface device, which produces and applies an alternative piloting setpoint to ensure safe operation, even in emergency situations, and prevents aircraft penetration into prohibited areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an alternative piloting system is integrated into a pre-existing aircraft, then safety functions are improved and single-pilot operation is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alternative piloting system is segmented into three independent functional modules: a piloting device (with positioning unit and control unit), an acquisition and analysis device, and an interface device. This segmentation allows each module to perform specific safety functions while maintaining overall system reliability without requiring complete system redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface device acts as an intermediary between the alternative piloting system and the original flight control system. It receives the alternative piloting setpoint and controls the original flight control system without modifying it, thereby integrating safety functions while preserving the existing system architecture and minimizing complexity increase.
2Reliability
If additional safety functions are integrated into the aircraft, then flight safety is improved, but certification costs and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The safety functions are extracted into a separate alternative piloting system that operates independently from the original flight control system. This extraction allows the safety functions to be certified and validated separately, reducing the certification burden on the original aircraft systems and lowering overall certification costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The alternative piloting system is designed to perform multiple safety functions including monitoring pilot availability, detecting autopilot failures, preventing malicious acts, and providing geographic confinement. This multi-functionality consolidates multiple safety requirements into a single integrated system, reducing the number of separate certifications needed.
3Reliability
If the piloting device is made independent of original systems, then reliability is improved through redundancy, but device complexity and integration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The interface device serves as an intermediary that connects the independent alternative piloting system to the original flight control system. It translates the alternative piloting setpoint into commands compatible with the original system without requiring modifications to either system, thereby maintaining independence while enabling integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The alternative piloting system is designed to be self-contained, acquiring its own positioning data from independent positioning units and processing its own control logic. This self-service capability reduces dependency on original systems while maintaining reliable operation through autonomous safety functions.
4Productivity
If a single pilot operates the aircraft, then operational costs are reduced, but safety risks increase due to pilot unavailability or incapacitation
Solution Approach 1:
The acquisition and analysis device continuously monitors feedback from multiple sources including pilot availability status, autopilot system health, and aircraft parameter anomalies. This real-time feedback enables the system to detect safety concerns and activate the alternative piloting setpoint when the sole pilot becomes unavailable or incapacitated.
Solution Approach 2:
The alternative piloting setpoint is pre-computed and stored based on the current flight state and geographic confinement requirements. In the event of pilot unavailability, this pre-prepared setpoint can be immediately activated without requiring real-time computation, ensuring continuous safe operation with a single pilot.
Data Source
AI summary
An alternative piloting system arranged to be integrated in a pre-existing aircraft that includes original systems having flight control and autopilot systems. The autopilot system includes a piloting device independent of the original systems, having a positioning unit arranged to produce positioning data relating to the aircraft, and a control unit arranged to produce an alternative piloting setpoint for the aircraft; an acquisition and analysis device, including acquisition device arranged to acquire data produced by the original systems, positioning data and alternative piloting setpoint as produced by the piloting device, and decision device arranged to decide whether the alternative piloting setpoint should or should not be used for piloting the aircraft; and an interface device arranged to control the flight control system on the basis of the alternative piloting setpoint when the decision device of the acquisition and analysis device decide that said alternative piloting setpoint should be used for piloting the aircraft.