Aircraft Landing Display for Capability-Intent Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft pilots face high workload during the final approach and landing phases due to the need to manage multiple information sources, leading to potential misinterpretation and incorrect decisions regarding automated landing systems, which can result in catastrophic errors or unnecessary costs.
Innovation Solution
A system and display device that provide a combined graphical indicator showing the aircraft's current approach/landing capability and the flight crew's intent, with real-time updates and alerts for system degradation, reducing pilot workload by presenting information in an intuitive and integrated manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If existing methods present approach/landing-related information to the flight crew, then the flight crew receives necessary information, but the flight crew's attention is significantly consumed during a high workload phase and misinterpretation may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple information elements (automated landing system status, approach/landing capability, and flight crew intent) into a single integrated graphical display. This merging of information reduces the cognitive load on pilots by presenting all critical data in one unified visual interface rather than requiring pilots to interpret multiple separate indicators and cross-reference them.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary processing layer that automatically interprets sensor data, system status, and flight parameters, then presents the processed information in an intuitive graphical format. This intermediary layer filters and translates complex data into meaningful visual representations, reducing the mental effort required by pilots to understand system status and make landing decisions.
2Reliability
If pilots manage multiple information sources during final approach, then comprehensive decision-making is enabled, but the risk of misinterpretation and catastrophic errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple information sources (system capability data, flight crew intent indicators, and real-time approach parameters) into a single integrated graphical display. This consolidation reduces information management complexity by eliminating the need for pilots to separately monitor and cross-reference multiple independent systems, thereby reducing the risk of misinterpretation during critical landing decisions.
3Extent of automation
If automated landing systems are used, then landing automation is improved, but the risk of wrong assumptions about automatic landing capability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback to pilots through the graphical display, clearly indicating the actual capability of the automated landing system and comparing it with the flight crew's intent. This feedback mechanism prevents wrong assumptions by making the system's true status transparent, allowing pilots to make informed decisions about whether to continue or abort the approach based on accurate real-time information.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems, devices and methods a for assisting a pilot with aircraft landing are disclosed. One exemplary method comprises receiving data representative of a current approach/landing capability of the aircraft and data representative of an approach/landing intent of the pilot; and showing a combined indicator graphically and simultaneously indicating the current approach/landing capability of the aircraft and the approach/landing intent of the pilot on a display device of the aircraft. The approach/landing intent of the pilot may be graphically indicated via cooperation between a first graphical object of the indicator and a second graphical object of the indicator. The method may graphically indicate a system degradation affecting the current approach/landing capability of the aircraft with the same indicator.