Method and system for synchronizing a display context

• US 8,020,113 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Cornillon, Mathieu, Cabaret, Remi, Georges, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hassan; Rashedul
• Application Number:
  US12/193,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771, 715/737, 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/1.3, 701/3, 701/14, 340/945, 340/971
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications

Abstract

A display system automatically presents a format in accordance with a prerecorded display configuration, upon a change of format on a screen of the display system.

Claims

1. A method for display-context synchronization for a display system of an aircraft, said display system exhibiting a distributed architecture and comprising a plurality of units, each of said units comprising:

a viewing screen able to display one of a plurality of different formats, and a control panel comprising an actuator allowing an operator to control the display, on the viewing screen, of one of said formats so as to present it in accordance with a particular display context which represents a display configuration, said display context defining a set of particular options which have been selected for the associated format, the method comprising;

automatically recording, for each unit, a display configuration, in a memory of the unit, for each of the formats able to be displayed by the unit, wherein the following are recorded in the memory of the unit as the display configurations;

the display configuration as currently displayed for the format that is currently displayed by the unit; and

for each of the other possible formats, the corresponding display configuration that was displayed last for the format on all of the other units; and

a default display configuration;

automatically extracting, when the display of a new format is requested by an operator via the control panel on a particular unit, the recorded display configuration which is associated with the new requested format from the memory of the unit; and

displaying the new format in accordance with the extracted display configuration.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when a new format is displayed in accordance with an associated display configuration on a unit, the control panel of this unit is synchronized with the associated display configuration of the displayed new format.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display system is intended for a single pilot of the aircraft, and wherein, when on a unit of said display system, the display is requested of a new format which corresponds to a format already displayed on another unit of said display system, this display of the new format is not carried out.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display system is intended for a single pilot of the aircraft, and wherein, when on a unit of said display system, the display is requested of a new format which corresponds to a format already displayed on another unit of said display system, a swap of the formats is carried out between these two units.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, upon booting of a unit:

recording as display configurations in the memory of the unit, if one of the other units of said display system is not in the booting phase and communications are refreshed, all the display configurations as recorded in the memory of this other unit; and

otherwise recording default display configurations as display configurations in the memory of the unit.

6. An aircraft display system with synchronized display context, said display system exhibiting a distributed architecture and comprising a plurality of units, each of said units comprising:

a viewing screen able to display one of a plurality of different formats;

a control panel comprising an actuator configured to enable an operator to control the display on the viewing screen of one of said formats so as to present it in accordance with a particular display context which represents a display configuration, said particular display context defining a set of particular options which have been selected for the one format;

a recorder that automatically records a display configuration in a memory of said unit, for each of the formats able to be displayed by this unit, said recorder being formed so as to record in said memory of the unit, as display configurations;

for the format which is currently displayed by this unit, the display configuration as displayed;

for each of the other possible formats, the corresponding display configuration which has been displayed last for this format on all of the other units; and

a default display configuration;

an extracting section that automatically extracts from said memory the display configuration which is associated with a new format, when the display of this new format is requested by an operator via the control panel of this unit;

a displaying section that displays this new format on the associated viewing screen in accordance with said extracted display configuration;

a data transmission link which connects said control panel at least to said recorder; and

a data transmission network which interconnects the recorders of the various units of said display system.

7. The display system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of said units further comprises a synchronization section that automatically synchronizes the control panel of the corresponding unit, with a display configuration in accordance with which a new format is displayed.

8. An aircraft, which comprises the display system specified under claim 6.