Aircraft dialog method including auxiliary object marker

• US 7,242,386 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• 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): Nguyen; Kevin M.
• Application Number:
  US10/716,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20040167704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-159, 345/160, 345/168, 715/809, 715/856, 715/811, 715/750, 715/751, 715/754, 701 1- 3, 701/14, 710/5
• 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 method for dialog between an operator of an aircraft and at least one system of the aircraft including the steps of displaying on a display at least one window including a plurality of responsive objects respectively associated with one of multiple functions of the at least one system of the aircraft, moving a cursor on the display so as to designate a responsive object such that when the cursor is on the responsive object, a main object marker appears and designates the responsive object, and discretely displacing an auxiliary object marker on the display, responsive object by responsive object, so as to designate a responsive object without affecting control of the main object marker.

Claims

1. A dialog method for dialog between an operator of an aircraft and at least one system of the aircraft, comprising the steps of:

displaying on a display at least one window including a plurality of responsive objects respectively associated with one of multiple functions of the at least one system of the aircraft;

moving a cursor on the display so as to designate a responsive object such that when the cursor is on the responsive object, a main object marker appears and designates the responsive object; and

discretely displacing an auxiliary object marker on the display, responsive object by responsive object, so as to designate a responsive object without affecting control of the main object marker.

2. The dialog method according to claim 1, further comprising:

activating a function associated with the responsive object designated by the main object marker; and

activating a function associated with the responsive object designated by the auxiliary object marker.

3. The dialog method according to claim 2, wherein the step of discretely displacing the auxiliary object marker and the step of activating the function associated with the responsive object designated by the auxiliary object marker is performed with keys on a separate stand-alone unit.

4. The dialog method according to claim 1, wherein the responsive objects are arranged according to at least one direction defined on a corresponding window, and wherein the method further comprises the step of discretely displacing the auxiliary object marker from one responsive object to another responsive object in the at least one direction.

5. The dialog method according to claim 1, wherein the step of moving the cursor causes the cursor to move in a continuous manner on the display.

6. The dialog method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one window includes a plurality of windows, and wherein the step of moving the cursor moves the cursor discretely from one window to another window in the plurality of windows.

7. The dialog method according to claim 1, wherein the display includes a plurality of displays, and wherein the step of moving the cursor moves the cursor from one display to another display in the plurality of displays.

8. The dialog method according to claim 1, wherein the step of discretely displacing the auxiliary object marker is activated during an emergency mode of the aircraft.

9. The dialog method according to claim 1, further comprising:

removing the auxiliary object marker from the display screen when the main object marker and the auxiliary object marker designate a same responsive object.

10. A dialog method for dialog between an operator of an aircraft and at least one system of the aircraft, comprising the steps of:

displaying on a display at least one window including a plurality of responsive objects respectively associated with one of multiple functions of the at least one system of the aircraft;

activating a main object marker appearing on a responsive object so as to initiate execution of a corresponding function of the at least one system;

activating an auxiliary object marker appearing on the responsive object so as to initiate execution of another corresponding function of the at least one system without affecting the corresponding function executed by activating the main object marker; and

providing a priority of movement on the display screen to the main object marker over the auxiliary object marker when the main object marker and the auxiliary object marker are located on a same window.

11. The dialog method according to claim 10, further comprising:

moving a cursor on the display so as to designate a responsive object such that when the cursor is on the responsive object, the main object marker appears and designates the responsive object; and

discretely displacing the auxiliary object marker on the display, responsive object by responsive object, so as to designate a responsive object without affecting control of the main object marker.

12. The dialog method according to claim 11, further comprising:

activating a function associated with the responsive object designated by the main object marker; and

activating a function associated with the responsive object designated by the auxiliary object marker.

13. The dialog method according to claim 12, wherein the step of discretely displacing the auxiliary object marker and the step of activating the function associated with the responsive object designated by the auxiliary object marker is performed with keys on a separate stand-alone unit.

14. The dialog method according to claim 10, wherein the responsive objects are arranged according to at least one direction defined on a corresponding window, and wherein the method further comprises the step of discretely displacing the auxiliary object marker from one responsive object to another responsive object in the at least one direction.

15. The dialog method according to claim 10, wherein the step of moving the cursor causes the cursor to move in a continuous manner on the display.

16. The dialog method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one window includes a plurality of windows, and wherein the step of moving the cursor moves the cursor discretely from one window to another window in the plurality of windows.

17. The dialog method according to claim 10, wherein the display includes a plurality of displays, and wherein the step of moving the cursor moves the cursor from one display to another display in the plurality of displays.

18. The dialog method according to claim 10, wherein the step of discretely displacing the auxiliary object marker is activated during an emergency mode of the aircraft.

19. The dialog method according to claim 10, further comprising:

removing the auxiliary object marker from the display screen when the main object marker and the auxiliary object marker designate a same responsive object.