Aircraft Cabin Gesture Control via Task Envelopes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft cabin control systems are cumbersome and costly due to the proliferation of physical control devices, which compromise passenger comfort and increase weight and maintenance costs, while lacking intuitive and efficient gesture-based control options.
Innovation Solution
A control system utilizing multiple sensors to detect communicative gestures in overlapping three-dimensional volumes, allowing for the definition of a task envelope and generation of control commands without physical interaction, thereby simplifying user interaction with cabin devices like window shades, entertainment systems, and lights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If physical control devices (buttons, knobs, touchscreens) are added to provide comprehensive cabin control, then control functionality and features are improved, but device complexity, weight, and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control functionality from physical devices and relocates it to a virtual task envelope space. Sensors detect gestures within this defined volume, allowing control commands to be issued without physical buttons, knobs, or touchscreens. This removes the burden of multiple physical control devices while preserving comprehensive cabin control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a task envelope as an intermediary between the user and cabin devices. This virtual three-dimensional volume acts as a mediator that captures gestures and translates them into control commands, eliminating the need for direct physical interaction with control devices while maintaining systematic control functionality.
2Ease of operation
If physical control devices are distributed across the cabin for common access, then ease of operation is improved, but weight and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical control devices with an optical/acoustic sensing system. Sensors detect gestures within the task envelope volume and convert them into electronic control signals. This substitution eliminates the weight of physical buttons, knobs, and touchscreens while maintaining ease of operation through natural gesture-based control.
3Ease of operation
If gesture detection is enabled in large cabin volumes, then ease of operation and natural movement are improved, but measurement precision and gesture identification become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large cabin volume into a defined task envelope with specific spatial boundaries. This segmentation creates a focused detection zone where gesture measurements are concentrated, improving measurement precision. The task envelope is further segmented into sub-volumes or zones that correspond to different control functions, allowing accurate gesture identification while maintaining natural movement freedom within the envelope.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds spatial dimensionality to gesture detection by defining a three-dimensional task envelope volume. This dimensional approach allows the system to distinguish gestures not only by their shape but also by their position and trajectory within the volume, enhancing measurement precision while accommodating natural movement patterns in three-dimensional space.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for an aircraft cabin includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a processor. The first and second sensors are configured to detect communicative gestures of a subject and are oriented to detect the communicative gestures in first and second cabin volumes, respectively. The second cabin volume at least partially overlaps the first cabin volume. The processor is configured to: identify a control volume defined by an overlap between the first and second cabin volumes; define a task envelope as a sub-set of the control volume in which the subject may perform the communicative gestures; disregard communicative gestures outside of the task envelope; compare an identified gesture of the communicative gestures performed inside the task envelope with a plurality of stored gestures; and generate a control task to command cabin devices in response to a match between the identified gesture one of the stored gestures.