Aeronautical Flight Plan Timeline Visualization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current aircraft cockpit visualization systems inadequately represent flight plans, lacking information on taxiing phases, treating all waypoints equally regardless of distance, and not integrating actions for different flight phases, making it difficult for pilots to manage and validate flight information effectively.

Innovation Solution

A graphic representation method using a timeline that displays various flight phases with information dependent on parameter levels, allowing pilots to select, modify, and validate data through a touch-sensitive interface, with adjustable text contrast, color, and size based on parameter availability, and providing intuitive configuration options for each phase.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If a sequential text-based representation is used to display flight plans, then the display format is simple and uniform, but it lacks information about taxiing phases and does not differentiate between waypoints separated by different distances

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflight phase informationVSAvoiddisplay structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The flight plan is segmented into distinct phases (taxiing, takeoff, cruise, descent, landing) with each phase displayed as a separate visual element on the timeline. This segmentation allows comprehensive information representation while maintaining organizational simplicity through hierarchical structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a one-dimensional sequential text list to a two-dimensional timeline visualization with spatial positioning. Waypoints are displayed at positions proportional to their actual distances, adding a spatial dimension that conveys distance information without increasing textual complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If all waypoints are treated equally in the display, then the display structure is simple and consistent, but it fails to represent the varying distances between waypoints

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedistance representationVSAvoiddisplay configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Each waypoint segment on the timeline is rendered with locally adapted visual properties based on its specific characteristics. Segments representing longer distances are displayed with different visual weighting or spacing compared to shorter segments, allowing precise distance representation while maintaining overall display consistency through standardized rendering rules.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of information

If comprehensive flight plan information is displayed, then information completeness is improved, but information reliability decreases due to display of incomplete or provisional data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation completenessVSAvoiddata accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a color-coding system where different colors or shading intensities indicate the reliability status of displayed information. Provisional or estimated data is visually distinguished from confirmed data through color variations, allowing pilots to assess information reliability at a glance while maintaining comprehensive information display.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

4Loss of information

If a detailed configuration interface is provided for all parameters, then information completeness is improved, but the interface complexity and time required for configuration increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparameter informationVSAvoidconfiguration time

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary configuration by automatically populating flight plan parameters from available data sources before presentation to the pilot. commonly used parameters are pre-filled or default-valued, allowing pilots to review and modify only necessary parameters rather than configuring everything from scratch, thus reducing configuration time while maintaining information completeness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9202381B2Method for displaying an aeronautical flight plan comprising a step of flight data configuration

Publication Date: 2015.12.01 THALES SA

AI summary

The general field of the invention is that of methods of graphic representation, modification and validation of an aeronautical flight plan for an aircraft avionics system. The system comprises means for computing and generating said flight plan, a task management system, a visualization device displaying a graphic representation of said flight plan and a man-machine interface suitable for making selections, modifications or additions to the information contained in said graphic representation, said selections, modifications and additions being taken into account by the task management system, said graphic representation containing a timeline on which feature at least the various phases of the flight plan and the information corresponding to said phases. The method according to the invention contains a step of displaying at least one item of information depending on several parameters and the graphic representation of which depends on the level of available information about said parameters.