Contextual Display Modes for VTOL Urban Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional guidance computation and display systems for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles are insufficient for navigating urban airspaces, particularly in regions with tall buildings and structures, as they fail to provide effective contextual display modes for both vertical takeoffs and landings, as well as fixed-wing cruising.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of contextual display modes for VTOL vehicles, which include obtaining aircraft flight information, retrieving vertiport information, and dynamically transitioning between takeoff, cruise, and landing synthetic vision display modes based on the aircraft's altitude and position, ensuring safe and efficient navigation through urban environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional guidance computation and display systems are used for VTOL vehicles, then the system complexity is reduced, but the navigation capability in urban airspaces with tall buildings is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The display system dynamically transitions between different synthetic vision modes (takeoff, cruise, landing) based on the aircraft's flight phase and altitude. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to provide context-appropriate navigation information for each flight stage, enhancing versatility without requiring entirely separate systems for each mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation display is segmented into distinct synthetic vision modes corresponding to different flight phases (takeoff, cruise, landing). Each mode provides specialized guidance information tailored to that phase, allowing the system to handle complex urban navigation by breaking it down into manageable, phase-specific displays.
2Measurement precision
If contextual display modes are implemented for different flight phases, then the navigation precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single synthetic vision display system performs multiple functions by transitioning between different display modes. The same display infrastructure provides takeoff guidance, cruise navigation, and landing assistance, achieving multi-functionality without requiring entirely separate systems for each navigation task.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system changes its operational parameters (displayed information, viewpoint, guidance cues) based on the flight phase. By adjusting what information is presented and how it is presented according to the current flight stage, the system achieves high navigation precision for each phase while using a unified display architecture.
3Extent of automation
If manual calculations are required for VTOL navigation, then the automation level is reduced, but the operational safety and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The synthetic vision display system automatically determines the appropriate display mode and provides context-appropriate navigation information without requiring manual intervention. The system self-adjusts based on flight phase, reducing pilot workload and minimizing human error while maintaining high operational safety through automated, context-aware guidance.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of providing contextual display modes for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle including obtaining aircraft flight information including a current position and altitude; retrieving vertiport information for a vertiport at the current position of the aircraft; displaying, to one or more operators of the aircraft, a takeoff synthetic vision display mode; transitioning, as the current altitude approaches the transitional altitude, from the takeoff synthetic vision display mode to a cruise synthetic vision display mode, wherein the cruise synthetic vision display mode represents the view from a cruise display viewpoint at the current altitude of the aircraft and at the current position of the aircraft; and displaying, in response to the current altitude equaling or exceeding the transitional altitude, the cruise synthetic vision display mode.