Transparent Overlay Coating for Avionics Display Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
In safety-critical industries, uncertified displays cannot be used to show mission-critical information due to concerns about integrity, continuity, and availability, which hinders the adoption of new applications and is costly to certify.
Innovation Solution
A system that overlays a transparent surface with embedded coating layers on personal electronic devices, allowing them to display critical information while verifying data integrity through imaging and annunciation, enabling uncertified displays to meet avionics requirements without relying on self-reporting from the display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If uncertified displays are used to display mission critical information, then cost and implementation time are reduced, but integrity, continuity, and availability cannot be assured
Solution Approach 1:
A transparent surface with optically reactive coating is introduced as an intermediary between the uncertified display and the pilot's view. This coating layer serves as a mediator that can annunciate integrity information optically without interfering with the display of critical information beneath it.
Solution Approach 2:
The optically reactive coating changes its optical properties (becomes opaque or changes color) to annunciate integrity information. When integrity is compromised, the coating transitions from transparent to opaque or changes color to alert the pilot, providing visual feedback about data integrity status.
2Reliability
If certified displays are used to ensure integrity, continuity, and availability, then reliability is improved, but cost and implementation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the display function (handled by the inexpensive uncertified PED) from the integrity assurance function (handled by the transparent surface with optically reactive coating). This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the PED for cost-effectiveness and the coating layer for reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses inexpensive uncertified personal electronic devices instead of costly certified displays. The critical assumption is that the integrity of the information displayed on these cheap devices can be assured through the optically reactive coating annunciation system, which provides visual confirmation of data integrity.
3Reliability
If a transparent surface with optically reactive coating is overlaid on the display, then integrity annunciation is enabled, but display visibility and touchscreen operation may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent surface is designed to be optically transparent under normal conditions, allowing full visibility of the display beneath. The optically reactive coating is activated only locally and temporarily when integrity issues are detected, providing annunciation only when needed without affecting normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The optically reactive coating is activated periodically or on-demand based on integrity checks rather than continuously. This allows the display to maintain full visibility and touchscreen functionality during normal operation, with the coating providing annunciation only when integrity compromises are detected.
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 the use of uncertified displays for mission-critical data, ensuring integrity, continuity, and availability, allowing for affordable and quicker adoption of new avionics functionality without impacting existing high-integrity systems.
Implementation Method 1
The transparent surface includes one or more regions embedded with one or more coating layers that when activated with a select excitation wavelength are configured to emit visible light
Implementation Method 2
an imaging device mounted in the mounting adapter and configured to capture an image of the PED display for transmission to a server
Data Source
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AI summary
A display integrity system for use in a mounting adapter configured to mount a personal electronic device (PED) on an aircraft is disclosed. The display integrity system includes a transparent surface configured to overlay the display surface of a PED when the PED is mounted in the mounting adapter. The transparent surface includes one or more regions embedded with one or more coating layers that when activated with a select excitation wavelength are configured to emit visible light to annunciate a message indicating a problem with an image displayed on the PED. The display integrity system further includes a lighting source housed in the mounting adapter and configured to provide light in the select excitation wavelength when activated to illuminate the transparent surface and an imaging device mounted in the mounting adapter and configured to capture an image of the PED display for transmission to a server for integrity checking.