Touch Screen Human Machine Interface for Aircraft Cockpit Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current aircraft cockpit interfaces relying on buttons, switches, and knobs are inefficient, leading to increased pilot workload, reduced safety, and higher maintenance costs due to their spatial requirements, complexity, and susceptibility to damage, especially in turbulent conditions.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a touch screen human machine interface device that allows pilots to interact with aircraft systems using single and multi-touch gestures, voice recognition, and haptic feedback, enabling more intuitive and centralized control of aircraft systems, reducing the need for physical reaching and minimizing equipment damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If buttons, switches and knobs are used to control aircraft systems, then reliable control is achieved, but the device space required increases and pilot accessibility decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol reliabilityVSAvoidpilot accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple control functions (buttons, switches, knobs) into a single touch screen display that can be positioned within easy reach of the pilot. The touch interface integrates system selection, parameter adjustment, and confirmation functions in one centralized location, eliminating the need for pilots to reach across the cockpit to operate distributed physical controls.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces mechanical control devices (physical buttons, switches, and knobs) with an electronic touch screen interface. This substitution maintains control reliability through software-based input validation and feedback mechanisms while eliminating the spatial constraints and accessibility issues inherent in mechanical control layouts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If multiple functions are assigned to separate physical controls, then clear function identification is achieved, but the number of controls increases and cockpit space is consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunction identificationVSAvoidnumber of controls

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The touch screen display serves multiple functions: it displays system status information, provides tactile feedback through visual cues, accepts various input gestures (tap, swipe, rotate), and presents contextual menus. A single touch interface replaces numerous specialized physical controls, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining clear function identification through software-based labeling and visual feedback.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The touch screen interface dynamically adapts its layout and available functions based on the selected system and operational context. The interface can reconfigure itself to present only relevant controls and information, reducing the number of visible elements while maintaining clear function identification through contextual presentation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If controls are located remotely from displays, then functional separation is achieved, but operational efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctional separationVSAvoidoperational efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the control interface and display into a single integrated touch screen unit. This integration allows pilots to view system information and execute control actions at the same location, eliminating the need to transfer attention between separately located displays and controls. The unified interface maintains functional separation through software-based system organization while dramatically improving operational efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Measurement precision

If physical input devices are used, then precise input is achieved, but maintenance costs increase due to damage and replacement

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinput precisionVSAvoidmaintenance cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces mechanical input devices with an electronic touch screen interface that has no moving parts or physical components susceptible to mechanical failure. The touch interface maintains input precision through multi-touch gesture recognition and haptic feedback mechanisms, while eliminating the need for physical replacement of damaged controls. Software-based input validation ensures precision is maintained even with the more forgiving touch interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS9710145B2Human machine interface device for aircraft

Publication Date: 2017.07.18 QUAERO

AI summary

A method and system for interacting with the systems of an aircraft using touch screen technology that includes a human machine interface device for interacting with aircraft systems. The human machine interface including an input/display device configured to provide for navigating among graphical representations of a plurality of aircraft avionics systems via the common human machine interface; selecting an aircraft system via at least one of a touch gesture and a voice command input to the input/display device; inputting an instruction to the selected aircraft system; and outputting information via at least one of visual, aural, haptic and tactile channels.