Vehicle All-Screen Dashboard Interactive Configuration Tool

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Solution Overview

Problem

The complexity of configuring an all-screen dashboard in vehicle piloting systems, such as aircraft cockpits, where numerous display formats and configurations can lead to insecurity due to the risk of inadvertently suppressing essential piloting information, necessitates a user-friendly mechanism for reconfiguring displays.

Innovation Solution

An electronic display device with interactive configuration tools on each screen, allowing users to select user input symbols to modify display formats, window sizes, and locations, ensuring that essential piloting information remains visible and accessible.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the number of displayable formats is increased to provide more information, then the information completeness is improved, but the display configuration complexity increases and the risk of inadvertently suppressing essential piloting information increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoiddisplay configuration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The dashboard display is segmented into multiple independent screens (PFD, ND, etc.), each capable of displaying specific formats. This segmentation allows pilots to configure each screen independently, reducing the overall complexity while maintaining information completeness across the entire dashboard system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each screen is assigned specific display formats tailored to its functional requirements (e.g., PFD for primary flight parameters, ND for navigation). This local quality approach ensures that essential piloting information is always displayed in appropriate formats on dedicated screens, preventing accidental suppression while allowing diverse information display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If pilots are allowed to freely reconfigure display settings according to operational requirements, then the adaptability is improved, but the risk of error increases due to the large number of possible configurations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay reconfiguration flexibilityVSAvoidconfiguration error risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides predefined display configurations (e.g., approach mode, cruise mode, emergency mode) that are prepared in advance. Pilots can directly select from these pre-configured options, which are optimized for specific operational scenarios, thereby maintaining adaptability while significantly reducing configuration errors compared to free-form reconfiguration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The display system provides visual feedback to confirm current configuration settings and alert pilots when essential information might be suppressed. This feedback mechanism helps pilots verify their configuration choices, reducing errors while maintaining the ability to adapt displays to operational needs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If the configuration tool occupies a large area on the screen to provide all configuration options, then the ease of operation is improved, but the visible display surface for essential information is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration accessibilityVSAvoidvisible display surface
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The configuration tool is segmented into multiple pages or sections, each displaying a subset of configuration options. Pilots can navigate through these segments to access different configuration parameters, allowing the tool to provide comprehensive configuration capabilities while occupying minimal screen space at any given moment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The configuration tool utilizes the temporal dimension by providing quick-access buttons for frequently used configurations that can be activated with a single action. This reduces the need for pilots to navigate through extensive configuration menus, improving ease of operation without requiring large screen real estate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3767240B1Electronic display device for an all-screen dashboard of a vehicle, associated vehicle and display method
Publication Date: 2023.08.09 THALES SA
  • EP3767240B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3767240B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3767240B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to an electronic display device for an all-screen dashboard (GC) comprising a plurality of screens (E1, E2, E3, ..., EN), the display device comprising, for each screen, an interactive display configuration tool (O1, O2, O3, ..., ON), the device being configured to, for each screen: - display the configuration tool in at least one predetermined area (Z1, Z2, Z3, ..., ZN), the configuration tool comprising a plurality of user input symbols each associated with a display configuration corresponding to the combination of a display format (F1, F2, F3, ... F10), a window size (E1W1, E1W2, ENW1, ENW2) relative to the size of said screen, and a location of said window within said screen, - modify the display configuration of said screen in the event of selection of a user input symbol distinct from the user input symbol corresponding to the current display configuration.