Flight Display Preselect Value for Barometric Altimeter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional barometric altimetry requires manual pilot intervention for setting barometric pressure, which can lead to errors and increased workload, and lacks secondary confirmation mechanisms, potentially causing single points of failure in aircraft systems.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that includes a flight display with a barometric altimeter interface featuring a preselect value and a swap arrow, coupled with a computer that updates and swaps these values to provide secondary confirmation and reduce pilot workload, utilizing controller pilot data link communication (CPDLC) for automated updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual pilot action is used to set barometric pressure, then the pilot has direct control over the setting, but the workload increases and errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic barometric pressure setting without requiring manual pilot intervention. The computer receives messages containing barometric pressure settings and automatically updates the preselect value and BAROSET value, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring pilot action for each setting change.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides visual feedback on the flight display showing the current BAROSET value, preselect value, and swap arrow indicator. This feedback mechanism allows pilots to monitor the automatic setting process and confirm when the desired value is displayed, reducing workload while maintaining accuracy through observable confirmation.
2Ease of operation
If automatic updates are implemented, then pilot workload is reduced, but secondary confirmation mechanisms are needed to prevent single points of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The system displays the incoming barometric pressure setting as a preselect value before it becomes the active BAROSET value. This preliminary display allows pilots to verify the correctness of the automatic setting before it is fully applied, providing a safety check without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The preselect value acts as an intermediary between the received barometric pressure setting and the active BAROSET value. The swap arrow serves as a visual mediator indicating when a value transition is available, allowing pilots to confirm the setting before it becomes active, thus preventing erroneous automatic updates.
3Ease of operation
If the pilot must physically twist a knob to change barometric pressure, then direct manual control is maintained, but timely action is required to ensure proper values
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical knob-twisting action with an electronic data processing system. The computer receives barometric pressure settings through data links and automatically updates the display values, eliminating the mechanical interaction and reducing the time required to update settings while maintaining pilot oversight through visual feedback.
Data Source
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AI summary
A preselect value (510) is sent to a primary flight display (104a) for confirmation from both pilots (i.e., from the captain and the first officer). The preselect value removes single point failure when updating the barometric altimeter pressure setting (302) in the barometric altimeter (208) from an uplink message from air traffic control. The preselect value is loaded with the barometric altimeter pressure setting from the uplink message. The pilots each swap the preselect value with the active barometric altimeter pressure setting on the primary flight displays. The new active barometric altimeter pressure setting is then pushed to the barometric altimeters both active barometric altimeter pressure settings match.