Hazard Correlation System for Autonomous Flight Path Planning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In complex weather scenarios, existing display systems overwhelm pilots with excessive information, increasing workload, especially during autonomous flight and single-pilot operations, as they require interpreting multiple data sources for hazard avoidance and penetration decisions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that correlate hazard data from multiple sources, assigning criticality weightings to define flight corridors based on hazard thresholds, rendering them visually distinct to aid in decision-making, allowing for autonomous flight path determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If existing display systems add features and overlays to provide more information, then information completeness is improved, but display clutter increases and vital information may be obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The display system segments hazard information into distinct categorical groups (weather hazards, terrain hazards, traffic hazards, other hazards) with dedicated display areas. Each hazard type is processed and presented separately through its own overlay layer, allowing pilots to access comprehensive hazard data without visual clutter from mixed information types.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a temporal dimension to hazard display by showing historical hazard data alongside current hazards. This allows pilots to understand hazard development over time without adding spatial clutter, as the temporal progression is integrated into the existing display framework rather than adding separate physical display elements.
2Loss of information
If separate systems are consulted to account for non-weather hazards, then hazard coverage is improved, but pilot workload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple separate hazard data sources (weather radar, terrain databases, traffic collision avoidance system, pilot reports) into a single integrated hazard display interface. All hazard types are presented together in one unified view, eliminating the need for pilots to switch between multiple separate systems and reducing cognitive load from managing multiple information streams.
Solution Approach 2:
The hazard display system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays current hazards, historical hazards, different hazard types (weather, terrain, traffic), and provides trend analysis all through a single interface. This multi-functional approach replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate display systems, reducing pilot workload while maintaining comprehensive hazard coverage.
3Reliability
If extensive crew experience is required for hazard avoidance decisions, then decision quality is improved, but pilot workload increases during autonomous flight
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of hazard data, trends, and potential outcomes before presenting information to the pilot. By pre-processing hazard information and preparing decision-support data in advance, the system reduces the cognitive burden on pilots during critical decision moments, effectively encoding expert knowledge into automated preparations that reduce workload while maintaining decision quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for correlating hazard data includes defining flight corridors according to hazard thresholds based on criticality weightings derived from multiple sources, and incorporating multiple hazard types. The flight corridors are render in a visually distinct way according to the corresponding hazard threshold. An autonomous aircraft determines an executable flight path within a flight corridor having a maximum allowable hazard threshold.