Multi-touch cockpit interface for controlling aircraft systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9703476-B1
Application number	US-201213484029-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 30, 2012
Priority date	Dec 23, 2010
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for controlling an aircraft system. An operator interaction with a control is received. The control comprises an image representing a hardware control for controlling the aircraft system. The image representing the hardware control is changed to represent a change in a state of the control in response to receiving the operator interaction. The aircraft system is operated in the manner indicated by the state of the control as represented in the image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling an aircraft system, comprising:
displaying an image, representing a control for the aircraft system, on a touch screen;
continuously enhancing a hit accuracy characteristic of the image, via adjusting a touch recognition threshold of the image, via using instructions in a controller and based upon the controller receiving an altitude and a speed, of a system on an aircraft;
receiving, on the touch screen, a first input, the touch screen configured for:
automatically selecting, via determining a position and an orientation in the aircraft of the touch screen, an aircraft system displayed on and in communication with the touch screen;
virtually partitioning the touch screen;
simultaneously recognizing a first input, on a first partition of the touch screen as being from a first source on a first side of the touch screen, and a second input, on a second partition of the touch screen as being from a second source on a second side of the touch screen, via recognizing an orientation, relative to the touch screen, of the first source and of the second source, respectively, and simultaneously processing the first input and the second input;
determining, via the second input being along an edge of the second partition and coming from the first source on the first side of the touch screen, the second input as an accidental input; and
responsive to recognizing the accidental input, at least one of: correcting, and ignoring, the accidental input;

transmitting the first input from the touch screen to an interface controller within the controller for an aircraft comprising the aircraft system;
changing, based upon the first input, a state of the control to an active state and indicating activating the control via increasing a size of the image via program code in the interface controller communicating with the touch screen;
subsequent to activating the control, the interface controller receiving a subsequent input to change the state of the control; and
an aircraft system controller within the controller operating the aircraft system in a manner indicated by the state of the control.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the image representing a dial; and
the first input comprising selecting the dial for a selected duration.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the image representing a dial;
changing a rotational position of the image representing the dial to a new rotational position in response to the first input touching an edge of the image representing the dial at a position; and
indicating the new rotational position and indicating the state of the control via the rotational position of the image representing the dial.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the image representing a dial;
changing a rotational position of the image representing the dial to a new rotational position in response via a sliding input along an edge of the image representing the dial to indicate an amount of rotation of the image representing the dial; and
indicating, via the rotational position of the image representing the dial, the state of the control represented by the image representing the dial.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the image representing a switch;
the controller interface changing the image representing the switch from an image of the switch in a first position to an image of the switch in a second position in response to receiving an input touching the image representing the switch at the second position; and
the controller interface changing the image representing the switch from the image of the switch in the second position to the image of the switch in the first position in response to stopping the input touching the image representing the switch at the second position, wherein the state of the control represented by the image representing the switch is indicated by the position of the switch in the image representing the switch.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft system is a radio on the aircraft.

7. An apparatus, that comprises:
a touch screen display located in a cockpit of an aircraft and configured to:
transition, responsive to a reception on the touch screen display of a 4-finger swipe right, from a map to a plan image on the touch screen display;
transition, responsive to a reception on the touch screen display of a 4-finger swipe left, from a plan to a map image on the touch screen display; and
present, responsive to a six-plus fingers down swipe on the touch screen display, a keyboard on the touch screen display; and

a controller comprising: processor unit, an interface controller, and an aircraft system controller, the interface controller comprising a data processing device comprising instructions programmed to:
display on the touch screen display an image that represents a control for an aircraft system;
automatically select, based upon a position and an orientation in the aircraft of the touch screen display, an aircraft system displayed on and in communication with the touch screen display;
virtually partition the touch screen display into multiple partitions;
simultaneously recognize:
a first input, on a first partition of the touch screen display as being from a first source on a first side of the touch screen display; and
a second input, on a second partition of the touch screen display as being from a second source on a second side of the touch screen display, based upon a recognition of an orientation, relative to the touch screen display, of the first source and of the second source, respectively, and simultaneously process the first input and the second input;

continuously enhance a hit accuracy characteristic of the image, via instructions programmed to:
adjust a touch recognition threshold of the image based upon the controller receiving an altitude and a speed of a system on the aircraft;
determine, based upon the second input being along an edge of the second partition and coming from the first source on the first side of the touch screen display, the second input as an accidental input; and
responsive to a recognition of the accidental input, at least one of: correct, and ignore, the accidental input;

receive from the touch screen display, an indication of the first input to the control, and, responsive to the first input, change a state of the control; and
change the image to represent the change in the state of the control in response to receiving the indication; and

the aircraft system controller comprising instructions programmed to operate the aircraft system in a manner indicated by the state of the control.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising the image representing a dial, and wherein the controller comprises instructions programmed to change a size of the image representing the dial in response to receiving the indication for a selected duration.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising the controller comprising instructions programmed to increase the size of the image representing the dial to a larger size and to change the state of the control corresponding to the image representing the dial to an active state when the image representing the dial is changed to the larger size, such that with the control in the active state, the controller interface comprises instructions programmed to change another state of the control based upon input from the touch screen display.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising the image representing a dial and the interface controller comprising instructions programmed to change a rotational position of the image representing the dial to a new rotational position in resp

Assignees

• Pappas Nicholas William
• Nikolic Mark Ivan
• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Pappas Nicholas William
• Nikolic Mark Ivan

Classifications

• G06F3/04886 Primary

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04803

  Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title