Voice-Responsive MCDU Touchscreen Interface for Cockpit Workload Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flight management system (FMS) multifunction control display units (MCDUs) are cumbersome, require manual navigation through menus, lack support for non-ASCII characters, and increase pilot workload, especially during high-stress situations like landing, due to their low resolution displays and need for hardware redesign for functional changes.
Innovation Solution
A voice-responsive, touchscreen MCDU system that includes a command database associating voice commands with MCDU commands, allowing pilots to use voice commands for navigation and featuring a data conversion device for seamless integration with existing avionics systems, supporting non-ASCII characters and reducing hardware complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional MCDUs use low resolution LCD displays with physical keypads, then the hardware structure is stable and reliable, but the pilot workload increases and operation ease deteriorates during high-stress situations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical keypad system with a touchscreen display that accepts various input methods including voice commands, gestures, and touch inputs. This substitution eliminates the need for physical key manipulation while maintaining system reliability through software-based control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The touchscreen display serves multiple functions: it displays information, accepts voice commands, recognizes gestures, and provides tactile feedback. This multi-functional approach consolidates what were previously separate components (display, keypad, buttons) into a single universal interface, reducing pilot workload while maintaining operational reliability.
2Device complexity
If conventional MCDUs require manual navigation through menus and submenus, then the system structure remains simple, but the time consumption and pilot focus increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces voice recognition technology as an intermediary between the pilot and the FMS. Instead of manually navigating through menus, the pilot can speak natural language commands that the system interprets and translates into the appropriate FMS operations, significantly reducing navigation time while maintaining manageable system complexity through the use of established voice recognition algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical keypad operations with voice-based command execution. This substitution allows pilots to interact with the system using speech rather than physical key presses, eliminating the need to remember and execute sequences of button presses while keeping the underlying system architecture relatively simple.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional MCDUs use fixed hardware bundles, then the manufacturing process is straightforward, but any functional changes require hardware redesign and reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static hardware bundle into a dynamic, software-defined system. The touchscreen display and processing unit can be reconfigured through software updates to provide different functions and interfaces without requiring physical hardware changes. This allows the system to adapt to new requirements while maintaining the same physical platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal platform that can perform multiple functions through software configuration rather than dedicated hardware for each function. The same touchscreen device can serve as display, input interface, and processing unit, and can be reprogrammed to support different MCDU functions or even different avionics systems, greatly enhancing adaptability while simplifying manufacturing.
4Quantity of substance
If conventional MCDU displays use low resolution LCD, then the display cost is reduced, but the ability to support non-ASCII characters and international characters is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the display parameter from low resolution LCD to high resolution touchscreen display. This parameter change enables the display to render a much broader character set including non-ASCII and international characters, while the touchscreen capability adds input versatility. The higher resolution is achieved through modern display technology that provides both visual fidelity and character diversity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for controlling a flight deck multifunction control display unit are disclosed. In various embodiments, the systems may comprise a flight management system or other MCDU driven devices, a command database that stores a plurality of voice commands and a plurality of multifunction control display unit commands. In various embodiments, each voice command is associated with one of the plurality of multifunction control display unit commands. The systems may further comprise a pilot voice interface configured to receive a voice command from a pilot and transmit the voice command to the multifunction control display unit. The multifunction control display unit can receive the voice command from the pilot voice interface and, in response, access the command database to identify a multifunction control display unit command in the command database that is associated with the voice command.