Aircraft dialog device, for dialog with a system of said aircraft

• US 7,113,167 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus France
• Inventors: Roux, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M.
• Application Number:
  US10/062,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20020118166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-157, 345856-860, 345/160, 345/173, 345/672, 715/856, 715/750, 715/751, 715/754, 715/809, 701/14
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

A dialog device includes at least one screen displaying responsive objects on at least two interactive windows. An actuatable cursor control device of the dialog device has a device for displacing a cursor on one of the interactive windows to designate and confirm a responsive object, so as to initiate execution of an associated function. An actuatable auxiliary control device of the dialog device controls an auxiliary object marker without affecting the control of the cursor. The actuatable auxiliary control device includes a device for discretely displacing the auxiliary object marker on an interactive window and confirming a responsive object indicated by the auxiliary object marker, so as to initiate execution of an associated function.

Claims

1. A dialog device for dialog between an operator of an aircraft and a system of said aircraft, said dialog device comprising:

at least one screen that displays at least two responsive objects on one or more interactive windows, each of said responsive objects being associated with one of multiple functions, said functions for being initiated by said dialog device under action of the operator so that they are executed;

at least one cursor control device arranged to be actuated by said operator and including;

an actuatable displacement means that causes continuous displacement of a cursor on at least one of said interactive windows to designate one of the responsive objects, by making a main object marker appear, and

an actuatable confirmation means that confirms the one of said responsive objects, which has said main object marker, to initiate execution of the function which is associated with said one of said responsive objects; and

auxiliary control means, which are arranged so that they can also be actuated by said operator, that control an auxiliary object marker without affecting control of said main object marker, said auxiliary control means comprising at least;

an actuatable displacement element that discretely displaces said auxiliary object marker, responsive object-by-responsive object, on the at least one of the interactive windows, and

an actuatable confirmation element that confirms one of the responsive objects, which has said auxiliary object marker, to initiate execution of the function associated with said one of said responsive objects confirmed by said actuatable confirmation element, wherein;

control of the main object marker by said cursor control device always has priority over control of the auxiliary object marker by said auxiliary control means when the two markers, main and auxiliary, are on the same interactive window.

2. A dialog device for dialog between an operator of an aircraft and a system of said aircraft, said dialog device comprising:

a single screen that displays two responsive objects on each of two interactive windows, each of said responsive objects being associated with one of multiple functions, said dialog device for initiating said functions under the action of the operator so that they are executed;

a cursor control device arranged to be actuated by said operator and comprising;

one actuatable displacement means that displaces, continuously or discreetly, a cursor on one of the two interactive windows to designate a first of the four responsive objects, by making a main object marker appear, and

one actuatable confirmation means that confirms the first responsive object, which has said main object marker, to initiate execution of the function which is associated with said first responsive object; and

auxiliary control means, arranged to also be actuated by said operator, and to control an auxiliary object marker without affecting control of said main object marker, said auxiliary control means comprising;

an actuatable displacement element that discretely displaces said auxiliary object marker, responsive object-by-responsive object, on the two interactive windows, and

an actuatable confirmation element that confirms a second of the four responsive objects, which has said auxiliary object marker, to initiate execution of the function associated with said second responsive object, wherein;

said cursor control device causes either continuous or discrete displacement of the cursor on the screen,

control of the main object marker by said cursor control device has priority over control of the auxiliary object marker by said auxiliary control means when the two markers, main and auxiliary, are on the same interactive window,

the function associated with said second responsive object is an emergency function that can be executed without interrupting the function associated with said first responsive object, and

the functions associated with said first and second responsive objects are controlled by the same operator.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said displacement and confirmation elements of the auxiliary control means are keys of a specific box.

4. The device of claim 2 further comprising:

a keyboard to enable said operator to enter data, wherein

said displacement and confirmation elements of the auxiliary control means are keys of said keyboard.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein said cursor control device includes some of the keys of said keyboard.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein:

said responsive objects are arranged according to at least one direction which is defined on each of said interactive windows, and

said auxiliary control means include a directional displacement element, which corresponds to a direction arrow, that displaces the auxiliary object marker from one responsive object to another, responsive object-after-responsive object, in said one direction in a chosen sense.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein said cursor control device includes a window selecting means for displacing the cursor from one of the two interactive windows to the other.

8. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

another screen, wherein

said cursor control device includes a screen selecting means for displacing the cursor from one of the two screens to the other.

9. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

another cursor control device; and

another auxiliary control means, wherein;

one cursor control means and one set of auxiliary control means are for the pilot of the aircraft, and

the other cursor control device and the other set of auxiliary control means are for the copilot of the aircraft.

10. An aircraft device that comprises a dialog device as specified in claim 2, to allow a dialog between said aircraft device and the operator of said aircraft.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein:

said responsive objects are arranged according to at least one direction which is defined on each of said interactive windows, and

said auxiliary control means include a directional displacement element, which corresponds to a direction arrow, that displaces the auxiliary object marker from one responsive object to another, responsive object-after-responsive object, in said one direction in a chosen sense.

12. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

another auxiliary control means, wherein;

one cursor control means and one set of auxiliary control means are for the pilot of the aircraft, and

the other cursor control device and the other set of auxiliary control means are for the copilot of the aircraft.

13. The dialog device of claim 4, further comprising:

a second cursor control device,

a second auxiliary control means,

wherein the first cursor control device and the first auxiliary control means are physically displaced from the second control device and the second auxiliary control means.

14. The dialog device of claim 13, wherein:

said second cursor control device is different from the first cursor control device, and

said second auxiliary control means is different from the first auxiliary control means.

15. A dialog device for dialog between an operator of an aircraft and a system of said aircraft, said dialog device comprising:

a single screen that displays two responsive objects on each of two interactive windows, each of said responsive objects being associated with one of multiple functions, said dialog device for initiating said functions by said dialog device under the action of the operator so that they are executed;

a cursor control device arranged to be actuated by said operator comprising;

one actuatable displacement means that discretely displaces a cursor on one of the two interactive windows to designate a first of the four responsive objects, by making a main object marker appear, and

one actuatable confirmation means that confirms the first responsive object, which has said main object marker, to initiate execution of the function which is associated with said first responsive object; and

auxiliary control means, arranged to also be actuated by said operator, and to control an auxiliary object marker without affecting control of said main object marker, said auxiliary control means comprising;

an actuatable displacement element that continuously displaces said auxiliary object marker, responsive object-by-responsive object, on the two interactive windows, and

an actuatable confirmation element that confirms a second of the four responsive objects, which has said auxiliary object marker, to initiate execution of the function associated with said second responsive object, wherein;

said cursor control device causes continuous displacement of the cursor on the screen,

control of the main object marker by said cursor control device has priority over control of the auxiliary object marker by said auxiliary control means when the two markers, main and auxiliary, are on the same interactive window,

the function associated with said second responsive object is an emergency function that can be executed without interrupting the function associated with said first responsive object, and

the functions associated with said first and second responsive objects are controlled by the same operator.

16. A dialog device for dialog between an operator of an aircraft and a system of said aircraft, said dialog device comprising:

a single screen that displays two responsive objects on each of two interactive windows, each of said responsive objects being associated with one of multiple functions, said dialog device for initiating said functions under action of the operator so that they are executed;

a cursor control device for being actuated by said operator comprising;

one actuatable displacement means that is operable to continuously displace a cursor on one of the two interactive windows to designate a first of the four responsive objects, by making a main object marker appear, and

one actuatable confirmation means that confirms the first responsive object, which has said main object marker, to initiate execution of the function which is associated with said first responsive object; and

auxiliary control means, for being actuated by said operator, to control an auxiliary object marker without affecting control of said main object marker, said auxiliary control means comprising;

an actuatable displacement element that displaces said auxiliary object marker, responsive object-by-responsive object, on the two interactive windows, and

an actuatable confirmation element that confirms a second of the four responsive objects, which has said auxiliary object marker, to initiate execution of the function associated with said second responsive object, wherein;

said cursor control device causes discrete displacement of the cursor on the screen,

control of the main object marker by said cursor control device has priority over control of the auxiliary object marker by said auxiliary control means when the two markers, main and auxiliary, are on the same interactive window,

the function associated with said second responsive object is an emergency function that can be executed without interrupting the function associated with said first responsive object, and

the functions associated with said first and second responsive objects are controlled by the same operator.