3D Looming Ball Guidance Symbology for Reduced Pilot Scan
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pilots face situational awareness challenges due to information overload from traditional flight directors, which only display deviations in two axes, requiring frequent gaze shifts, leading to potential trajectory deviations in aircraft navigation.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for displaying a dynamic looming ball deviation symbology on a pilot display, providing a single intuitive source of guidance by generating and displaying three-dimensional deviation indicators, including lateral, vertical, and longitudinal deviations relative to a desired object, using a flight controller and data link to communicate aircraft and object positions and trajectories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional flight directors display deviation information in multiple separate sources, then comprehensive guidance information is provided, but pilot situational awareness deteriorates due to information overload and frequent eye movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines lateral, vertical, and longitudinal deviation information into a single integrated display element (the looming ball indicator). This merging of multiple guidance sources into one unified visual representation eliminates the need for pilots to scan between multiple displays, thereby maintaining complete guidance information while significantly improving situational awareness and reducing cognitive load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a three-dimensional representation (the looming ball with depth perception) to display what would traditionally require multiple two-dimensional displays. By encoding longitudinal deviation through the depth/size of the ball rather than requiring a separate display, the system adds a dimensional encoding method that integrates all three axes of deviation into a single visual element, improving both information density and pilot awareness.
2Measurement precision
If traditional flight directors require pilots to reference multiple displays for longitudinal deviation, then accurate longitudinal guidance is provided, but trajectory stability deteriorates due to increased eye movements and possible deviations
Solution Approach 1:
By merging longitudinal deviation information directly into the primary visual indicator (the looming ball's depth and size), the system eliminates the need for pilots to shift their attention to separate displays. This integration maintains precise longitudinal guidance information while stabilizing the flight trajectory by keeping the pilot's focus fixed on a single, comprehensive visual reference.
3Loss of information
If multiple sources of guidance information are displayed, then comprehensive deviation data is provided, but pilot cognitive load increases leading to scan breakdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges three separate deviation measurements (lateral, vertical, and longitudinal) into a single integrated display element. This consolidation reduces the number of discrete display elements from multiple separate indicators to one unified looming ball, thereby reducing display system complexity while maintaining complete deviation data through the ball's position, height, and depth characteristics.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system (100) and method (400) for generation and display of a dynamic looming ball deviation symbology (150), DLBDS, to a pilot receives inputs from a plurality of sources and displays a single source 3D deviation indicator to limit a scan requirement of a pilot. The system generates (410) and displays (412) the DLBDS relative to an ownship flight path marker intuitively useful to indicate each of a lateral deviation, a vertical deviation, and a longitudinal deviation relative to a desired object or position relative to the desired object. The DLBDS is displayed relative to the ownship aircraft and indicates deviation to be corrected to position the aircraft at the desired position relative to the object.