Cockpit Touch Event Validation Using Eye Gaze and Body Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flight displays in aviation often experience incorrect touch point registration due to sensing algorithm inaccuracies, leading to inadvertent touch events that can extend task time and result in unintended inputs affecting critical aircraft systems.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize eye tracking and body movement sensors to validate touch events before communicating them to the aircraft system, reducing the likelihood of inadvertent touches by comparing spatial-temporal touch event data with touch event signature data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If touchscreen sensing algorithms are used to detect user touch input, then the system can receive user input efficiently, but the sensing algorithms may incorrectly register touch points leading to inadvertent touch events
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces eye tracking sensors and body tracking sensors as intermediary devices that mediate between the user's intent and the touchscreen input. These sensors detect eye gaze direction and body movement to determine whether a touch was intentional or inadvertent, thereby resolving the reliability issue of incorrect touch registration while maintaining efficient touch detection through the existing touchscreen sensors
2Reliability
If multiple sensors (eye tracking and body tracking) are added to validate touch events, then the reliability of touch event detection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the monitoring system multi-functional by using eye tracking and body tracking sensors to perform multiple tasks: detecting inadvertent touches, determining user intent, and potentially other cockpit monitoring functions. This universal approach justifies the added complexity by enabling the system to handle various detection and validation tasks through a single integrated sensor framework
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the data from eye tracking and body tracking sensors continuously monitors and validates touchscreen inputs in real-time. The controller receives feedback from these sensors to dynamically determine whether to accept or reject touch events, creating a closed-loop system that improves reliability through continuous verification without requiring complete system redesign
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A system for monitoring touch events in a cockpit display includes one or more user monitoring devices (116) including eye tracking sensors (120) and body tracking sensors (122). The system includes a controller (102) including a touch event algorithm configured to determine inadvertent touch events. The controller may receive eye gaze and body movement data of the user viewing the display (112). The controller may receive the spatial-temporal touch event data and compare the spatial-temporal touch event data with touch event signature data in a touch event signature database. The controller may determine whether the received user touch input is an inadvertent touch event. Upon determining the user touch input is an inadvertent touch, the controller may perform a first set of avionic system actions and upon determining the user touch input is an intentional touch, the controller may perform a second set of avionic system actions.