Engine Relight Envelope Display for Safe In-Flight Restart
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pilots face challenges in determining the optimal engine restart procedures for aircraft during dynamic flight conditions due to changing speed, altitude, weather, and airspace restrictions, which increases cognitive workload and the risk of unintended engine restart attempts outside safe operating envelopes.
Innovation Solution
Aircraft systems and methods that display the aircraft's energy state on a graphical user interface relative to operating envelope regions for different relight procedures, using reference axes for speed and altitude, allowing pilots to dynamically update the display and identify the safest restart options by adjusting flight controls to intercept the appropriate envelope region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pilots manually determine engine restart procedures using reference data during dynamic flight conditions, then they can identify restart options, but their cognitive workload increases and the risk of unintended restart attempts outside safe operating envelopes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors aircraft state parameters (speed, altitude, engine status) and provides real-time feedback to the pilot through the display interface. The aircraft symbol dynamically updates its position relative to operating envelope regions, giving immediate feedback on whether current conditions support safe engine restart procedures. This continuous feedback loop reduces pilot cognitive burden by automatically tracking flight parameters and comparing them against safe operating boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The graphical user interface acts as an intermediary between the complex flight parameters and the pilot's decision-making process. Instead of requiring pilots to directly interpret multiple parameters and reference data, the system processes this information through the graphical display that shows aircraft position relative to operating envelope regions. This intermediary layer simplifies the information presentation and guides pilot actions toward safe restart procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If pilots use dynamic flight parameters to determine restart procedures, then they can adapt to changing conditions, but it becomes difficult to ascertain available restart procedures and determine the safest manner for restarting
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms multiple dynamic flight parameters (speed, altitude, engine status) into a two-dimensional graphical representation where the aircraft symbol's position relative to operating envelope regions visually encodes restart procedure availability. This dimensional transformation allows pilots to quickly assess complex multi-parameter conditions by simply observing the aircraft symbol's location on the display, making adaptability to dynamic conditions intuitive and immediate.
Solution Approach 2:
The display uses visual differentiation (color coding or graphical indicators) to show different operating envelope regions and their corresponding restart procedures. As flight conditions change and the aircraft symbol moves between regions, the visual presentation dynamically updates to indicate which restart procedures are currently available and safe, making it easy for pilots to detect and respond to changing conditions without complex mental processing.
3Loss of information
If the system provides detailed reference data for restart procedures, then pilots have comprehensive information, but the display complexity increases and pilots may be overwhelmed
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the most critical information needed for restart decision-making and presents it through the graphical interface showing aircraft position relative to operating envelope regions. Detailed reference data is processed and distilled into essential visual cues that indicate restart procedure availability without overwhelming the pilot with excessive information. The full reference data remains available in the system but is selectively presented based on current flight conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The display segments information by showing different operating envelope regions and their corresponding restart procedures as distinct visual zones. Rather than presenting all possible restart information simultaneously, the system segments the information space so that only currently relevant restart procedures are prominently displayed based on the aircraft's position, reducing overall display complexity while maintaining information completeness when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for presenting an energy state associated with an aircraft with respect to an operating envelope region for a procedure to restart an engine of the aircraft. One method involves providing a graphical user interface display having a first reference axis corresponding to a first energy state parameter and a second reference axis corresponding to a second energy state parameter different from the first energy state parameter, providing a graphical representation of an operating envelope region associated with a procedure for starting an engine of the aircraft with respect to the first and second reference axes, obtaining current values for the first and second energy state parameters for the aircraft, and providing a graphical representation of the aircraft positioned with respect to the first and second reference axes based on the current values for the first and second energy state parameters.