Avionics Map Scrollbar for Intuitive Route Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing avionics systems face difficulties in intuitively adjusting navigational maps to view areas ahead or behind the aircraft's current location, particularly when the map is oriented in the direction of travel or when the flight plan turns, increasing pilot workload.
Innovation Solution
A graphical adjustment element, such as a scrollbar or slider, is displayed on the avionics system to allow users to easily scroll the navigational map along the flight path, with its position corresponding to the along-track distance between navigational reference points, enabling intuitive adjustment of the map display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual scrolling or dragging of the lateral map is used, then the displayed area can be adjusted, but the operation becomes difficult and nonintuitive when the map is oriented in the direction of travel or when the flight plan turns
Solution Approach 1:
A graphical adjustment element (slider/scrollbar) is introduced as an intermediary between the user and the map display system. This mediator translates simple user input (dragging the slider) into complex map repositioning operations, making the interaction intuitive regardless of map orientation or flight plan geometry. The slider acts as a decoupling mechanism that simplifies the user interface while maintaining full control over the displayed area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical map adjustment (dragging the map directly) with a graphical user interface element (slider/scrollbar). This substitution transforms a spatial manipulation task into a one-dimensional control task, where users drag a slider along a line corresponding to the flight path rather than manually positioning the map in two dimensions. This reduces cognitive load and makes the operation intuitive.
2Loss of information
If the lateral map display is manually adjusted to view areas ahead or behind the aircraft, then relevant navigation information becomes visible, but the workload on the pilot increases due to nonintuitive adjustment directions
Solution Approach 1:
The graphical adjustment element serves as an intermediary that simplifies the pilot's interaction with the map display system. Instead of requiring pilots to understand complex directional adjustments based on aircraft heading and flight plan geometry, the slider provides an intuitive one-dimensional control that automatically accounts for these factors. The slider's position along the flight path directly corresponds to the desired view ahead or behind the aircraft.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automatic calculations and adjustments based on the slider position. When the pilot moves the slider, the system automatically determines the appropriate map center position, bearing, and scale to display the desired area of the flight plan. This self-service capability eliminates the need for the pilot to manually compute adjustment parameters, reducing workload while maintaining full visibility of navigation information.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for indicating the relationship of a displayed area on a map with respect to a route or flight plan. A method comprises displaying a navigational map on a display device and displaying a graphical adjustment element on the display device. The position of the graphical adjustment element on the display device corresponds to the along track distance between the displayed area of the navigational map and a first navigational reference point of a route comprising the first navigational reference point and a second navigational reference point.