Symbol Validation System for Avionics Display Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for validating graphical symbol generation in safety-critical applications, such as avionics, are costly and complex, and fail to effectively handle complex, spatially proximate, or mixed symbols, which can lead to misinterpretation and accidents.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate symbols based on source information from physical equipment, attributing symbol attributes to pixels, identifying and validating these attributes through characteristic information calculation, and raising alerts for invalidations, using a two-processing-chain system to ensure rapid and reliable validation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If double generation of video streams by two different graphical generation systems is used to ensure high safety level, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary validation system that processes the output of a single graphical generation system. Instead of using two complete graphical generation systems, a validation module is inserted as an intermediary to verify the correctness of symbols generated by one system, thereby achieving high safety levels with reduced complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The validation system creates a simplified copy or representation of the generated symbols through characteristic information extraction. By analyzing key features and attributes of the generated symbols rather than regenerating entire video streams, the system achieves verification with lower computational resources and complexity
2Reliability
If DO-178 and DO-254 standards are applied to develop software and hardware, then reliability is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies safety validation selectively to critical elements (symbols and their characteristic information) rather than uniformly to the entire graphical generation system. By focusing validation resources on locally critical components, the system achieves safety assurance without the excessive cost of applying full DO-178/DO-254 standards across all software and hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The validation system changes the parameters being monitored from complete video stream regeneration to specific characteristic information of symbols (geometric properties, positions, attributes). This parameter transformation enables effective safety validation with reduced computational cost and simplified development requirements
3Ease of operation
If optical character recognition technologies are used for symbol validation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates for complex, spatially proximate, or mixed symbols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the symbol validation process into distinct characteristic information extraction steps (geometric properties, positions, attributes) rather than attempting holistic recognition. This segmentation enables reliable validation of complex, spatially proximate, or mixed symbols by analyzing their constituent features separately and systematically
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional optical character recognition mechanisms with a systematic attribute-based validation approach. Instead of using image processing algorithms to recognize symbols, the system substitutes a method that extracts and validates specific characteristics of generated symbols, achieving higher reliability for complex symbol sets
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and system for validating the graphical generation of symbols to display, comprising a graphical generation of symbols to display to form a video stream comprising a plurality of rasters, comprising a pixel generation, with the attribution of at least one associated symbol attribute for each pixel contributing to one of said symbols. The method comprises, for at least one raster of said video stream: obtaining at least one reference symbol attribute associated with at least one symbol to be monitored; identifying pixels having the reference symbol attribute(s), during a scan of the pixels of said raster in a predetermined course direction, these pixels contributing to said at least one symbol to be monitored, and calculating associated characteristic information; validating the display of the symbol(s) to be monitored based on the calculated characteristic information and of source information associated with said symbols to display.