Aircraft State Display for Autopilot Situational Awareness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pilots face challenges in discerning the current and future path of an aircraft during autopilot mode due to high workload during descent and approach, especially when the aircraft deviates from the planned vertical path due to wind conditions or incorrect energy management.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for displaying the current and future state of an aircraft on a display associated with the vehicle, using a vehicle state display control module that receives input from flight management systems, sensors, and remote processing systems to output user interfaces indicating the current and future path, convergence, divergence, and corrective actions to maintain the planned flight path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the autopilot system controls the vertical trajectory of the aircraft, then the automation level and productivity are improved, but the pilot's ability to discern the current and future path deteriorates due to high workload and lack of situational awareness
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback to the pilot by displaying the current flight path and predicted future path on a visual interface. This feedback loop allows the pilot to see the relationship between autopilot commands and actual aircraft response, maintaining situational awareness despite high automation levels.
Solution Approach 2:
A path display interface acts as an intermediary between the autopilot system and the pilot. This intermediary translates complex autopilot control data into visual representations of current and future paths, making the information accessible and understandable to the pilot without increasing workload.
2Productivity
If the autopilot system directs the vertical trajectory during descent, then the productivity and speed of operation are improved, but the reliability of path adherence deteriorates when wind conditions or energy management cause deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates and displays the future flight path in advance, allowing the pilot to see where the aircraft will be before actually getting there. This preliminary visualization enables early detection of potential deviations from the planned path due to wind or energy management issues, allowing corrective action before the deviation becomes significant.
Solution Approach 2:
By continuously updating the display to show both current and predicted future paths, the system provides real-time feedback about the aircraft's trajectory. This allows the pilot to monitor path adherence reliability and take corrective action if deviations are predicted, maintaining reliable operation during high-speed descent.
3Loss of information
If the pilot monitors the aircraft path during high workload descent and approach, then the situational awareness is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to increased pilot workload
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a temporal dimension to the path display by showing not only the current path but also the predicted future path. This dimensional enhancement provides comprehensive path information without requiring the pilot to mentally calculate or predict future positions, reducing cognitive workload while improving path discernibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The display creates a visual copy or representation of the predicted future flight path based on current autopilot commands and aircraft state. This copy allows the pilot to compare the predicted path with the desired path without needing to perform complex mental computations, maintaining situational awareness while minimizing workload.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for displaying a current state and a future state of a vehicle on a display associated with the vehicle are provided. The method includes: receiving flight plan data for a selected flight plan and a plurality of legs associated with the selected flight plan from a source of flight plan data; determining, with a processor, a current state of the vehicle with respect to one of the plurality of legs based on sensor data; determining, with the processor, a current target state for the vehicle with respect to one of the plurality of legs based on the flight plan data; determining a divergence of the current state based on a difference between the current state and the current target state; and generating a user interface for display that illustrates the divergence of the current state with respect to the one of the plurality of legs.