Device for aircraft dialogue

• US 8,140,992 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Jean, David, Cabaret de Alberti, Remi, Levret, Sebastien
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Chat
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US11/832,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781
• US Class Current: 715/778
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A dialogue device deactivation/activation unit for deactivating layers of an interactive window which are associated with systems of the aircraft that are not selected.

Claims

1. A dialogue device for dialogue between an operator of an aircraft and aircraft systems of said aircraft, said dialogue device comprising:

a display system comprising at least one screen configured to display at least one interactive window which comprises a plurality of layers, each layer of the interactive window being associated with one of said aircraft systems, and each of said layers comprises at least one interactive object configured to display a menu, wherein the display system is configured to display each of the at least one interactive objects simultaneously at a same position of a corresponding one of the plurality of layers; and

at least one cursor control device linked to said display system and configured to be actuated manually by said operator, wherein the at least one cursor control device comprises;

at least one movement unit that is configured to move a cursor over said interactive window to indicate the at least one interactive object;

a selection unit configured to be actuated manually by said operator to select one of the aircraft systems, wherein the screen presents the cursor, at the time of selection of one of the aircraft systems, in the form of a symbol that is representative of the selected aircraft system; and

at least one validating unit that is configured to validate the at least one interactive object through said cursor to open the corresponding menu, wherein the corresponding menu is an interactive list of actions or functions,

wherein

each one of said layers of the interactive window exhibits interactivity and is configured to be activated and deactivated such that;

when a layer is activated, each of the at least one interactive objects of the activated layer is configured to be validated; and

when the interactivity of a layer is deactivated, each of the at least one interactive objects of the deactivated respective layer is configured so that each of the at least one interactive objects cannot be validated; and

wherein said dialogue device further comprises;

an activation/deactivation unit, linked to the selection unit, which is configured to activate and to deactivate the plurality of layers of said interactive window such that, at the time of selection of an aircraft system through actuation of said selection unit, the layer associated with said selected aircraft system is activated, and the layers associated with the aircraft systems that are not selected are deactivated.

2. The dialogue device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selection unit comprises a button configured to be actuated which is arranged on a casing of said cursor control device, said casing also comprising said movement unit and said validation unit.

3. The dialogue device as claimed in claim 1, said screen comprises an indicating unit provided on the screen and indicating the aircraft system which has been selected by the intermediary of said selection unit.

4. An aircraft system, comprising the dialogue device of in claim 1.