Digital Aircraft Window AR for Passenger-Relevant Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional inflight entertainment systems provide limited passenger engagement and fail to dynamically enhance the flight experience with real-time, passenger-relevant information through aircraft windows.
Innovation Solution
An augmented reality (AR) system that determines a passenger's pose and field-of-view through the aircraft window, selects relevant points of interest (POIs), and displays AR indicia on a see-through display device to augment the real-world view with information such as names of landmarks, distances, and advertisements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional inflight entertainment systems are used to provide entertainment content, then passengers can access movies and television, but passenger engagement remains limited and the flight experience lacks dynamic enhancement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an augmented reality interface as an intermediary between the passenger and the external environment. This AR interface overlays digital information (landmark names, distances, advertisements) onto the physical view through the window, mediating between the real-world view and information delivery. The AR indicia acts as a mediator that enhances engagement without blocking the external view, resolving the contradiction between providing information and maintaining passenger engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from traditional 2D flat screens to a 3D spatial augmented reality experience. By projecting information into the third dimension through see-through displays and AR overlays, the system creates a multi-dimensional information space that enhances engagement while preserving the external view. This dimensional transition allows information to be presented without occupying the same visual plane as the window view.
2Adaptability or versatility
If static window views are provided to passengers, then the external environment is visible, but the flight experience lacks dynamic content and passenger relevance
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts the displayed information based on real-time parameters including aircraft pose, passenger pose, field-of-view calculations, and relevance rules. The AR indicia changes dynamically as the aircraft moves, as passengers shift their positions, and as different landmarks come into view. This dynamic behavior transforms the static window view into an adaptive, context-aware experience that delivers passenger-relevant information in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops by continuously monitoring aircraft position, passenger position, and calculating field-of-view to determine which information to display. The relevance rules process feedback from sensor data to selectively display only passenger-relevant POIs. This feedback mechanism ensures that the flight experience adapts to current conditions while delivering appropriate information, resolving the contradiction between dynamic experience and information delivery.
3Adaptability or versatility
If augmented reality indicia are displayed through digital windows, then passenger engagement and information delivery are enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-functionality by integrating multiple capabilities into a unified AR platform: pose estimation, field-of-view calculation, POI selection based on relevance rules, and dynamic indicia rendering. The see-through display device serves multiple purposes by simultaneously providing external view, AR overlays, and adaptive information delivery. This universal approach consolidates complexity into a single multi-functional system rather than separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-service mechanisms through automated pose estimation using sensors and cameras, automatic field-of-view calculation based on passenger position, and autonomous POI selection using relevance rules. The system self-adjusts the AR indicia display without manual intervention, adapting to changing conditions automatically. This self-service capability reduces operational complexity while maintaining high adaptability in information delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
An augmented reality (AR) system for an aircraft obtains an aircraft pose, determines a passenger pose relative to a window, and computes a field-of-view of the passenger. Operations select a set of passenger-relevant points of information (POIs) from a database that satisfy a relevance rule to the real-world objects viewable by the passenger through the window. For each of the passenger-relevant POIs in the set, operations determine an AR indicia to be displayed, and an AR indicia pose where the AR indicia is to be rendered on a display device. Operations generate a display command based on the AR indicia and the AR indicia pose for the passenger-relevant POIs in the set. Operations provide the display command to the display device to display renderings of the AR indicias with the AR indicia poses to augment the real-world objects viewed by the passenger through the window.