Dynamic Flight Display Scale Fading to Reduce Cockpit Clutter
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing sophistication of aircraft avionics has led to cluttered primary flight displays, potentially causing pilots to miss critical information, necessitating a method to declutter the flight display by adjusting the dynamic scale indicator.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that receives operational status parameters from onboard avionics, generates a dynamic scale indicator with adjustable value ranges, fading unnecessary ranges based on the parameter values, and displays the adjusted indicator on the flight display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If avionics sophistication is increased to provide more flight information, then information completeness is improved, but display clutter increases making critical information harder to detect
Solution Approach 1:
The scale indicator is made dynamic by automatically adjusting its value ranges based on the current operational status of the aircraft. The system continuously monitors flight parameters and dynamically modifies which portions of the scale are displayed, allowing the display to adapt to current flight conditions rather than showing all possible values at all times.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the scale indicator are treated differently based on their relevance to current flight conditions. The system applies selective fading to specific value ranges while maintaining full visibility of relevant ranges, creating local variations in display intensity that guide pilot attention to critical information.
2Measurement precision
If full value ranges are always displayed on the scale indicator, then measurement precision is maintained, but display clutter increases reducing clarity
Solution Approach 1:
The system displays only the necessary portion of the full scale range at any given time, rather than showing all possible values. By applying fading to portions of the scale that are not currently relevant to flight conditions, the system provides partial display action that maintains precision where needed while reducing clutter elsewhere.
Solution Approach 2:
The display parameters of the scale indicator are dynamically changed based on flight conditions. The system modifies which value ranges are visible versus faded by changing the display state of different scale portions, allowing the same physical indicator to present different levels of detail appropriate to current operational needs.
3Ease of operation
If static scale indicators are used to simplify the display, then display clutter is reduced, but adaptability to different flight conditions decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The scale indicator transitions from a static display to a dynamic one that automatically adjusts its presentation based on real-time flight conditions. The system monitors operational status parameters and dynamically modifies the visible range and intensity of scale values, providing adaptability while maintaining visual simplicity through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system serves itself by automatically adjusting the scale indicator presentation without requiring pilot intervention. The system monitors flight conditions and autonomously determines which portions of the scale should be visible or faded, eliminating the need for manual display configuration while maintaining adaptability to different flight phases.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~4C
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a dynamic scale indicator on a flight display of an aircraft. The method comprises receiving an operational status parameter for the aircraft and generating the dynamic scale indicator located on the flight display of the aircraft. The dynamic scale indicator includes a positive value range that represents operational status parameter values greater than a selected setting value and a negative value range that represents operational status parameter values less than the selected setting value. The operational status parameter is translated into a value that is represented on the dynamic scale indicator. The value ranges shown on the dynamic scale indicator are adjusted by fading the negative value range when the operational status parameter value is positive, fading the positive value range when the operational status parameter value is negative, and fading the value range to the extent that the value range exceeds the operational status parameter value.