Flight Deck ATC Text Ticker for Limited Display Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flight crew members face increased workload due to the need to note down important commands from air traffic controllers and remember to execute them at a later time, which can be challenging and distracting during flight operations.
Innovation Solution
A flight deck system that transcribes over-the-air voice communications from air traffic controllers into formatted text and displays it on an aircraft display device using a ticker tape graphical element, allowing for bookmarking and scrolling through messages, reducing the need for manual note-taking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flight crew members manually note down important commands from air traffic controllers, then they can record commands for later execution, but their workload increases and they may miss instructions during flight operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows the flight deck to automatically transcribe and store ATC communications without requiring manual note-taking by flight crew members. The transcription system serves itself by automatically capturing, storing, and making available commands for later execution, eliminating the need for manual documentation while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual note-taking with an automated electronic transcription system. The system uses audio processing and text generation to convert ATC voice communications into written commands that are automatically stored and displayed, substituting human manual operations with automated technological processes.
2Loss of information
If all ATC communications are displayed on the aircraft display device, then flight crew members have complete information, but the display area is insufficient and important commands may be lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and stores individual commands from the continuous stream of ATC communications. Instead of displaying all communications simultaneously, the transcription system identifies and separates important commands, storing them individually for later retrieval and display, ensuring no information is lost while managing limited display space effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the continuous ATC communication stream into discrete, manageable command units. Each command is transcribed, stored, and can be individually displayed or reviewed, allowing the system to preserve complete information while adapting to the limited display area through organized segmentation of content.
3Reliability
If flight crew members need to remember and execute commands at a later time, then they can maintain situational awareness, but the cognitive load and risk of missed instructions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary transcription and storage of ATC commands during the flight operation. Commands are captured, transcribed into text, and stored in advance of when they need to be executed, allowing flight crew members to review them later without having to remember them, thereby reducing cognitive workload while maintaining execution accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a flight deck system comprising a controller for displaying message content from an ATC conversation. The controller is configured to: receive extracted message content from a plurality of messages; and generate a ticker tape graphical element having a first panel and a second panel for display as an overlay over a primary display on an aircraft display device. The first panel has a main panel for displaying message content for a most recently received message and one or more subsidiary panels for displaying message content for up to a first predetermined number of the most recently received messages. The second panel has a bookmark main panel for displaying message content for a second predetermined number of the most recently received bookmarked messages and one or more bookmark subsidiary panels for displaying message content for a third predetermined number of the most recently received bookmarked messages.