Comparative Vertical Profile Display for Aircraft Route Diversions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pilots face increased mental workload and stress when diverting from a flight plan due to the need to manually integrate various pieces of information from different displays, such as fuel levels, weather, terrain, and obstacles, which can lead to pilot error in time-sensitive situations.
Innovation Solution
A comparative vertical profile graphical user interface (GUI) display is provided, showing both the original and modified flight plans in parallel planes, allowing pilots to visualize and differentiate between routes, terrain, and conditions, reducing mental workload by concurrently depicting the vertical profiles of both routes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pilots manually integrate information from multiple different displays to assess flight plan deviations, then comprehensive situational awareness is achieved, but pilot workload and stress increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple information sources (vertical profile data, weather radar, terrain, obstacles, fuel status, distance) that were previously distributed across different displays into a single integrated vertical profile display. This merging allows pilots to assess flight plan deviations and situational awareness from one consolidated view, reducing the mental workload of piecing together information from multiple sources while maintaining comprehensive situational awareness.
2Reliability
If pilots analyze multiple information sources concurrently during flight plan deviation, then accurate decision-making is achieved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated vertical profile display merges previously separate information sources into a single concurrent view, allowing pilots to analyze all relevant factors (weather, terrain, obstacles, fuel, distance) simultaneously rather than sequentially switching between displays. This consolidation maintains accurate decision-making by preserving all necessary information while reducing the time required to analyze it.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent presents information in a vertical profile dimension rather than traditional horizontal map views, adding a vertical axis that simultaneously displays altitude, weather, terrain, and obstacles. This dimensional change allows multiple parameters to be visualized concurrently in a single view, enabling faster comprehensive analysis without sacrificing decision accuracy.
3Device complexity
If multiple information sources are distributed across different displays, then information organization is maintained, but pilot mental workload increases due to need to piece together information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges previously distributed information sources into a single integrated display that maintains systematic organization. The vertical profile display systematically arranges weather, terrain, obstacles, fuel, and distance information along the vertical axis, preserving information organization while eliminating the need for pilots to mentally integrate data from multiple separate displays.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated vertical profile display serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays vertical trajectory, weather conditions, terrain, obstacles, fuel status, and distance information all in one view. This multi-functionality replaces multiple specialized displays, maintaining comprehensive information organization while improving ease of information integration and reducing pilot workload.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for assisting operation of an aircraft when diverting from a flight plan using a comparative vertical profile display. A vertical profile display includes a first graphical representation of a first vertical profile corresponding to a first lateral route defined by a flight plan for the aircraft and a second graphical representation of a second vertical profile corresponding to a modified lateral route different from the first lateral route displayed concurrently on the vertical profile display. The first vertical profile corresponding to the first lateral route is depicted on the vertical profile display in a first plane and the second vertical profile corresponding to the modified lateral route is depicted on the vertical profile display in a second plane different from the first plane.