Peripheral Airspeed Display for Pilot Attention Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft systems are inadequate in providing timely and effective alerts for maintaining safe airspeed during flight phases, leading to increased risk of Loss of Control—In Flight and Approach and Landing Accidents due to pilot inattention.
Innovation Solution
The Aircraft Energy State Awareness Display System provides visual and aural alerts to pilots by continuously comparing measured airspeed to recommended safe and optimum airspeeds, using data from the aircraft bus and internal storage, with alerts positioned for easy peripheral vision to minimize distractions and ensure immediate understanding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional airspeed display instrumentation is used, then airspeed information is provided to the pilot, but the pilot must divert attention and line-of-sight away from the runway view to read and comprehend the display
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the airspeed information display from the traditional centralized instrument panel to the periphery of the pilot's visual field, specifically at the lower outer corners of the front windows. This spatial repositioning allows pilots to perceive airspeed information in their peripheral vision without diverting their central line-of-sight from the runway environment, effectively adding a spatial dimension to information delivery that eliminates the attention trade-off.
2Loss of information
If voice warnings are used for low airspeed alerts, then alerts are provided to the pilot, but the warnings may be ignored or not appreciated for what they are until it is too late
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color-coded visual indicators to communicate airspeed status and warnings to the pilot. The system uses different colors (such as green, yellow, and red) to represent different airspeed conditions and warning levels, providing immediate, unambiguous visual feedback that is difficult to ignore. This color-based communication system enhances the reliability of warnings by providing intuitive, universally recognizable visual cues that complement or replace voice warnings.
3Loss of information
If detailed airspeed trend information is displayed, then comprehensive airspeed data is provided, but the display becomes cluttered and requires more time to read and comprehend
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and displays only the most critical airspeed information elements in the peripheral display location. Rather than presenting comprehensive detailed trends, the system selectively presents key airspeed parameters and warning indicators that are essential for immediate pilot awareness and action. This extraction approach maintains information effectiveness while eliminating display clutter and reducing cognitive processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
An Energy State Awareness System that alerts the pilot of an aircraft during the climb, cruise and descent phases of a flight of low airspeed conditions, and during the Approach/Landing and Go-Around phases of flight when airspeed has deviated from a pre-determined reference airspeed that is considered “Stable” for the flight conditions. In order to determine the degree of deviation, the system monitors some of various readily available signals representative of flight parameters and of the aircraft's configuration such as true airspeed, weight, flap position, center of gravity and normal load factor—nz. Some signals are used directly, others are used as inputs to internal algorithms that compute the data necessary to determine the magnitude of the deviations.