PFD Gauge Translucency Adjustment for Pilot Situational Awareness

Solution Overview

Problem

In primary flight display (PFD) systems, flight gauges often obscure additional situational and tactical information, making it difficult for pilots to quickly review critical data due to their opacity, which can be problematic in time-sensitive situations.

Innovation Solution

The PFD system allows pilots to adjust the translucency of gauges dynamically between fully opaque and fully translucent, or any intermediate value, using user-input mechanisms such as touch screens or physical knobs, enabling better visibility of both gauge data and background information based on the flight situation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If flight gauges are displayed with high opacity to ensure clear visibility of flight parameters, then gauge readability is improved, but background information becomes obscured and harder to access

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegauge visibilityVSAvoidbackground information accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the translucency of flight gauges based on user input and flight conditions. The processing circuit receives user input indicating desired translucency levels and modifies the display characteristics of gauges in real-time, allowing the opacity to change from fully opaque to fully translucent depending on the situation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the translucency parameter of gauge displays to optimize both gauge readability and background information visibility. By adjusting this visual parameter, the system allows pilots to prioritize either gauge data or background information based on the current flight phase and situational needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of information

If flight gauges are displayed with high translucency to improve background information visibility, then background information accessibility is improved, but gauge data becomes harder to read

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebackground information accessibilityVSAvoidgauge visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the translucency of flight gauges based on user input and flight conditions. The processing circuit receives user input indicating desired translucency levels and modifies the display characteristics of gauges in real-time, allowing the opacity to change from fully opaque to fully translucent depending on the situation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the translucency parameter of gauge displays to optimize both gauge readability and background information visibility. By adjusting this visual parameter, the system allows pilots to prioritize either gauge data or background information based on the current flight phase and situational needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of information

If multiple information layers are displayed simultaneously with fixed opacity, then comprehensive information availability is improved, but pilot workload increases due to difficulty in quickly accessing specific information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation availabilityVSAvoidinformation access speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the translucency of flight gauges based on user input and flight conditions. The processing circuit receives user input indicating desired translucency levels and modifies the display characteristics of gauges in real-time, allowing the opacity to change from fully opaque to fully translucent depending on the situation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the translucency parameter of gauge displays to optimize both gauge readability and background information visibility. By adjusting this visual parameter, the system allows pilots to prioritize either gauge data or background information based on the current flight phase and situational needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10718631B1Primary flight display (PFD) with adjustable translucency gauges

Publication Date: 2020.07.21 ROCKWELL COLLINS INC

AI summary

A primary flight display (PFD) system for displaying flight information of an aircraft to a user includes a user interface configured to receive input from the user and display the flight information to the user and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to cause the user interface to display one or more gauges indicating the flight information at a first translucency value over background information, receive, via the user interface, a second translucency value, and cause the user interface to display the one or more gauges indicating the flight information at the second translucency value over the background information.