Aircraft display system

• US 8,656,313 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Cabaret, Remi, Jean, David, Roux, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): BASOM, BLAINE T
• Application Number:
  US12/118,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20080282201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 715/754, 715/755, 715/856, 715/859, 701/3
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0382 Plural input, i.e. interface arrangements in which a plurality of input device of the same type are in communication with a PC
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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

Abstract

A display system manages the states of two cursors that are situated on an interactive window of a display screen, as a function of the last actions carried out by the crew.

Claims

1. A display system for an aircraft, said display system comprising:

at least one screen that displays at least one interactive window and which comprises at least one sensitive object associated with a particular function;

at least one display management device that manages the display of said at least one interactive window;

a first cursor control device which is configured to be actuated by a first pilot of the aircraft and which comprises;

at least one first actuatable cursor movement device, configured to move a first cursor over said at least one interactive window and designate the at least one sensitive object displayed on said at least one interactive window, and

at least one first actuatable validation device, configured to validate the at least one sensitive object which is designated by way of said first cursor and to execute the particular function associated with said sensitive object;

a second cursor control device which is configured to be actuated by a second pilot of the aircraft and which comprises;

at least one second actuatable cursor movement device, configured to move a second cursor over said at least one interactive window and designate the at least one sensitive object displayed on said at least one interactive window, and

at least one second actuatable validation device, configured to validate the sensitive object which is designated by way of said second cursor and to execute the particular function associated with said sensitive object; and

a cursor management device which comprises;

a) a cursor state activator which is configured to be controllable and to activate each of the following states;

an unallocated state in which at least one of the first and second cursors is not situated on the at least one interactive window,

an active state in which at least one of the first and second cursors is situated on the at least one interactive window,

a standby state in which the cursor interactivity is allocated to one of the first and second cursors situated on the at least one interactive window, wherein validation of the at least one sensitive object is brought about only after the one cursor has been brought into the active state through actuation of the corresponding cursor control device, and

an inactive state in which at least one of the first and second cursors is situated on the at least one interactive window and cannot validate the at least one sensitive object;

b) a recorder, linked to the first and second cursor control devices, that records last actions carried out on said first and second cursor control devices by the respective first and second pilots;

c) a memory having integrated control rules as follows;

i) the first cursor is brought to the active state;

when the first cursor is placed on the at least one interactive window and the second cursor is not in the active state on the at least one interactive window;

or

when the first cursor is in the standby state and the first cursor control device is actuated;

or

when the first cursor is in an inactive state and the first cursor control device is actuated, while the second cursor is not in the active state;

ii) the first cursor is brought to the inactive state;

when the first cursor is placed on the at least one interactive window and the second cursor is in the active state on the at least one interactive window;

or

when the first cursor is in the standby state and the second cursor is brought to the active state; and

(iii) the first cursor is brought to the standby state;

when the first cursor is in the active state and the first cursor control device is not actuated for a predetermined duration;

or

when the first cursor is in the inactive state and the second cursor is removed from the at least one interactive window; and

(iv) the first cursor is brought to the unallocated state when the first cursor is removed from the at least one interactive window; and

d) a cursor state controller linked to the recorder, memory and cursor state activator, wherein the cursor state controller is configured to control the cursor state activator to allocate the cursor interactivity so that when both the first and second cursors are situated on the at least one interactive window at the same time only one of said first and second cursors located on the at least one interactive window is in the active state, and the allocation of the cursor interactivity is based on the recorded last actions transmitted to the cursor state controller by the recorder in which the cursor interactivity remains allocated to the cursor in the active state or, in the standby state, allocation is to the cursor previously in the active state, and the allocation of the cursor activity is according to the control rules transmitted to the cursor state controller by the memory.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, which comprises a plurality of screens, in which at least one screen is configured to receive said first cursor, at least one screen is configured to receive said second cursor, and at least one screen is common to said first and second pilots and is configured to receive said first cursor and said second cursor, and wherein each of said screens comprises at least one interactive window.

3. An aircraft, which comprises the display system of claim 1.