Interactive Aircraft Guidance Screen Merging Control and Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft guidance systems require pilots to select and monitor instructions and modes using a dedicated control unit, leading to visual round trips and dispersion of guidance elements, as well as the use of costly and cumbersome physical hardware.
Innovation Solution
A dialogue device with interactive screens that allow pilots to select and modify guidance instructions and modes directly on the screen, using graphic objects that represent guidance instructions and can be manipulated to change values, eliminating the need for a separate control unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a dedicated control unit (FCU/MCP) is used for selecting guidance instructions and modes, then the control and monitoring functions are separated, but this leads to visual round trips and dispersion of guidance elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control unit and monitoring display into a single integrated touchscreen interface. The guidance control interface presents both control elements (for selecting instructions and modes) and monitoring elements (for checking selections and behavior) on the same screen, eliminating the need for visual round trips between separate control units and display screens.
Solution Approach 2:
The touchscreen display serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both a control interface for selecting guidance instructions and modes, and as a monitoring display for checking selections and system behavior. This multi-functional approach consolidates previously separate control and monitoring functions into a single universal interface.
2Ease of operation
If a dedicated control unit is used for guidance control, then control functions are centralized, but the hardware becomes costly and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the physical control unit (FCU/MCP) with a touchscreen interface. The mechanical/physical control elements are substituted with software-based control elements displayed on the touchscreen, eliminating the need for separate physical hardware while maintaining centralized control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the control unit functions within the touchscreen interface. The control elements and monitoring elements are rendered as graphical representations on the screen, allowing pilots to interact with guidance systems through touch gestures rather than physical controls, thereby eliminating cumbersome hardware.
3Ease of manufacture
If control elements and monitoring elements are separated into different locations, then each element can be optimized independently, but the overall system becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines control elements and monitoring elements into a single touchscreen interface, allowing both to be optimized together within a unified design framework. This integration reduces system complexity and eliminates the need for separate hardware components while maintaining the ability to independently design and optimize each element's functionality within the software interface.
Data Source
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AI summary
The device has a screen (3) for restoring guidance information and including a graphic object, which is produced in the form of an interaction unit (8). The interaction unit represents a playback element, which indicates a value of a guidance setpoint of a guidance system, and a control element that is grasped and moved along a curve by an operator so as to modify the value of the guidance setpoint of the guidance system. The interaction unit comprises a set of states, which allows different actions to be implemented.