Design of a pilot-centered visual decision-support system for airborne collision avoidance

In this work we present a pilot-centered visual decision support system for flight critical collision avoidance using “dynamic 4D trajectory management”. The system utilizes an underlying automation support system, which is connected to the onboard avionics, and the NextGen/SESAR enhanced flight deck technologies enabling new Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) and System Wide Information Management (SWIM) services. The overall automation support system which embeds “dynamic 4D trajectory management” is envisioned to a) provide the pilots with alternative trajectories as tunnels-in-the-sky through avionics displays on the console and head-up/augmented reality displays in real-time, b) provide the flight crew with quantified and visual understanding of collision risks in terms of time, directions, and countermeasures, and c) provide autonomous conflict resolution as an autopilot mode. Thus, ensuring highly responsive and adaptive airborne collision avoidance in face of ever challenging scenarios that involve blunders, weather/ terrain/ obstacle/ new conflict hazards. The designed visual decision support system does not increase workload of the pilot and dilutes “tunneling effect” in interaction while increasing situational awareness. These algorithms and tools developed are currently being integrated on an Automation Support System for implementation on a Boeing 737-NG FNPT II Flight Simulator with synthetic vision and augmented reality.