Avionics Display System for Context-Aware Flight Plan Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional avionics display systems require pilots to modify flight plans using dialog boxes that obscure important information like weather, terrain, and traffic, making it difficult to visualize changes in the context of the entire flight plan.
Innovation Solution
An interactive graphical system that allows pilots to directly modify flight plans on the navigation display by using adjustable segments and gestures, such as dragging, to alter bearings and parameters, providing immediate feedback without covering essential information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pilots use dialog boxes to modify flight plan parameters, then parameter input and modification capability is improved, but the display area is reduced and important information becomes obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the parameter modification functionality from the traditional dialog box interface and integrates it directly into the flight plan graphical display. The adjustable segment with draggable extremities allows pilots to modify parameters by directly manipulating visual elements on the main display, eliminating the need for separate dialog boxes that obscure the display area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the parameter input interface with the flight plan visualization by embedding adjustable segments directly onto the flight plan path. This integration allows pilots to modify flight plan parameters and view the results simultaneously on the same display area, combining what were previously separate functions into a unified interface.
2Ease of operation
If dialog boxes are used for parameter input, then task parameter modification is enabled, but situational awareness is reduced due to coverage of weather, terrain, and traffic information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the dialog box overlay that blocked situational awareness information and extracts the parameter modification capability into direct graphical manipulations on the flight plan display. Pilots can now adjust parameters by dragging segment extremities while continuously viewing weather, terrain, and traffic information without obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements immediate visual feedback by dynamically updating the flight plan display as pilots drag segment extremities. The adjustable segments provide real-time preview of parameter changes in the context of the complete flight plan, allowing pilots to maintain situational awareness while modifying parameters through direct visual manipulation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional menu selection is used for task execution, then task options are available, but the number of operations and time required is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flight plan into discrete adjustable segments, each representing a specific task or parameter group. This segmentation allows pilots to directly manipulate individual segments without navigating through hierarchical menus, reducing the number of operations required to execute tasks while maintaining full task execution capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables pilots to directly manipulate flight plan parameters through intuitive drag operations on the graphical display, allowing the system to respond automatically to pilot actions. This self-service approach eliminates the need for multiple menu navigation steps, reducing operation time while preserving comprehensive task execution options.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of executing a task associated with a flight plan displayed on a navigation display in the form of a graphical image comprises selecting the task, generating symbology on the display graphically representative of the task to be executed and characterized by at least one parameter, and adjusting at least a portion of the symbology by dragging on the display to achieve a desired value of the at least one parameter.