Aircraft Cockpit Setting Validation for Unintended Change Detection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In aircraft cockpits, untimely modifications of critical system settings due to system failures can lead to hazardous or catastrophic consequences, as they often go unnoticed by operators without proper validation.

Innovation Solution

An interaction system that generates adjustment and validation signals for aircraft system settings, including a display module to show graphical signatures and a treatment module to detect and alert operators of unvalidated modifications, ensuring that any changes are validated before being applied.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a validation step is added to confirm setting changes, then flight safety is improved, but operation time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflight safetyVSAvoidoperation time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system displays the selected adjustment value before validation occurs, allowing the operator to preview the change. This preliminary display action enables the operator to confirm the intended modification before it takes effect, preventing untimely changes while maintaining efficient workflow

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides visual feedback by displaying the selected adjustment value on a display module before validation. This feedback mechanism allows the operator to verify the selection and prevents unintended changes, improving reliability without significantly increasing operation time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If simple display changes are used to indicate modifications, then device complexity is reduced, but detection reliability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem complexityVSAvoiddetection reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses visual display changes to indicate modified adjustment values. The display module presents the selected value in a visually distinct manner, enabling reliable detection of modifications while maintaining simple system architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The display module acts as an intermediary between the adjustment medium and the validation mechanism. It visually presents the selected value to the operator, enabling reliable detection of modifications without adding complex detection hardware

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4498190A1Interaction system in the cockpit of an aircraft and associated interaction method

Publication Date: 2025.01.29 THALES SA

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to an interaction system (10) in the cockpit of an aircraft for controlling at least one avionics system (15) with setting values, comprising: - a setting medium (21) configured to generate a setting signal corresponding to a setting value selected by an operator following a first action, and a validation signal corresponding to a validation of the selected setting value following a second action; - a display module (44) configured to display the selected setting value and to generate a return signal comprising a graphic signature of the displayed setting value; - a processing module (52) configured to receive each return signal and each validation signal, to detect each change in the setting value and to verify that each detected change corresponds to a validation signal.