Conditional Timeline Pre-Arming for Sequential Vehicle Actions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Human-in-the-loop control systems face challenges due to human impatience, forgetfulness, and difficulties with sequential actions, especially in user interfaces that require accurate and intermittent hand inputs, leading to diminished situational awareness and increased workload, particularly in operating vehicles like aircraft.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that allow users to pre-arm multiple actions according to a conditional timeline with associated trigger events, enabling actions to be completed automatically when prerequisites are met, reducing the need for continuous human intervention and improving situational awareness through graphical depictions and alerts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If human operators perform sequential actions manually in user interface systems, then the system requires human decision-making and control, but human impatience, forgetfulness, and difficulty with sequential tasks lead to incomplete actions, lost place in sequence, and diminished situational awareness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompletion of sequential actionsVSAvoiduser interaction with sequential interface
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system allows users to pre-arm multiple actions in advance according to a conditional timeline and trigger events. Users can define sequences of actions to be automatically executed when specific conditions are met, eliminating the need for manual execution during critical moments and ensuring consistent completion of sequential tasks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-monitoring and automatic execution of pre-armed actions based on detected trigger events. The processor automatically determines when conditions are met and executes the corresponding actions without requiring continuous human intervention, making the system self-sufficient in managing sequential operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If user interface systems require accurate and intermittent hand inputs (e.g., touchscreen), then precise user control is achieved, but user workload increases significantly and situational awareness diminishes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of user inputVSAvoiduser workload
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts the repetitive and workload-intensive task of executing sequential actions from the user and transfers it to the automated system. The user only needs to initially configure the action sequences, after which the system handles all subsequent executions automatically, dramatically reducing ongoing user workload while maintaining precision through automated execution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If multiple actions are pre-configured to execute automatically based on trigger events, then user workload is reduced and situational awareness is enhanced, but system complexity and automation requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveefficiency of action executionVSAvoidlevel of automated control
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSExtent of automation

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides a universal framework that can handle multiple types of actions and trigger events through a single configuration interface. The same pre-arming mechanism works for various kinds of vehicle operations and conditions, making the automation system versatile and reducing the need for specialized controls for different scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4105913B1Vehicular system and method for pre-arming actions according to conditional timeline and associated trigger events
Publication Date: 2024.05.08 ROCKWELL COLLINS INC
  • EP4105913B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4105913B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4105913B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system (100) may include a user interface (204) and a processor (304; 402). The processor may be configured to (a) pre-arm multiple actions according to a conditional timeline and any associated trigger events, and (b) output commands to cause the multiple actions to be completed at times consistent with the conditional timeline and any associated trigger events.