Optical Flight Assistant for Legacy Cockpit Instrument Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

General Aviation pilots operating older aircraft face challenges in maintaining situational awareness due to outdated 'steam gauge' instruments, as modern avionics solutions like integrated flight management systems are cost-prohibitive for retrofitting older aircraft, which require rewiring and certification.

Innovation Solution

The Cockpit Multi Sensor (CMS) system uses low-cost optical machine vision to monitor instrument readings, broadcasting wireless streams to portable devices and interfacing with existing audio systems, creating a 'virtual data bus' that enhances situational awareness without the need for costly rewiring, leveraging the dome light position for a bird's-eye view of cockpit instruments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If modern integrated flight management systems are installed, then situational awareness and safety are improved, but cost and device complexity increase significantly due to rewiring and certification requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesituational awarenessVSAvoidavionics system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses optical cameras to capture images of existing analog instruments and processes these images to extract flight data, creating a virtual copy of the instrument panel. This allows the system to access flight information without physically connecting to or modifying the aircraft's existing avionics systems, thereby avoiding complex rewiring while maintaining situational awareness capabilities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary layer consisting of optical sensors, image processing algorithms, and wireless communication modules that bridge the gap between traditional analog instruments and modern digital displays. This intermediary approach allows legacy aircraft to gain modern avionics capabilities without direct integration into the aircraft's electrical system, reducing complexity and certification barriers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Extent of automation

If modern integrated flight management systems are installed, then safety and automation are improved, but installation cost and manufacturing complexity increase due to certification requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflight management automationVSAvoidinstallation ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs commercially available, off-the-shelf components including cameras, processors, and wireless communication modules that can be readily manufactured and deployed without custom fabrication. These components are selected for their availability, low cost, and ease of integration, allowing rapid deployment on legacy aircraft without expensive custom manufacturing or lengthy certification processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The system is designed to be universally applicable to various legacy aircraft types by using standard mounting configurations and generic instrument panel interfaces. The optical reading capability works with multiple instrument types and layouts, and the system can provide multiple functions including flight parameter monitoring, checklist management, and collision avoidance, making it a versatile solution that doesn't require aircraft-specific customization

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables advanced capabilities like analog instrument recognition, collision avoidance, and situational awareness enhancements, providing a cost-effective means to upgrade older aircraft systems, reducing pilot workload and improving safety without the need for traditional avionics certification.

Implementation Method 1

an optical sensor configured to view the instruments

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectOptical detection: Light

Implementation Method 2

a laser configured to project on the instrument panel in the cockpit

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLaser: Laser

Data Source

PatentUS12187454B2Electronic flight assistant with optical reading of flight instruments and laser messaging, with optional optical collision avoidance, audio warnings, audio checklists, and other functions

Publication Date: 2025.01.07 ARNOLD MARC

AI summary

An electronic flight assistant device has a first processor coupled to a firmware memory containing machine readable instructions executable by the processor (Firmware) and a random access (RAM) memory; an electronic camera coupled to the processor;a visible-wavelength laser adapted to be gated and scanned by the processor;a switchable cockpit light; at least one digital radio coupled to the processor; anda housing containing the processor, electronic camera, laser, digital radio, and cockpit light; the firmware configured to perform optical reading of cockpit instruments, to determine error conditions, and to scan the laser to provide indications to a pilot of error conditions.