Abstract:
A system and method for a vehicle adjusts the volume of an audible indication. An operational state of the vehicle is determined. The audible volume at which the audible indication is provided to the operator is varied based at least in part on said determined operational state of the vehicle.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a vehicle audio system, and more particularly, to a system and method for adjusting the volume of an audible indication to a user of the vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Many modern vehicles, such as aircraft, are equipped with a wide variety of electrical and computing systems that monitor and, in some instances, control various operational aspects of the aircraft. One of the tasks performed by these systems is to monitor for potentially significant situations (e.g., low fuel and overspeed), and then warn the operator (e.g., the pilot), or other user, that the vehicle is in such a situation. A common method for alerting the operator of such situations is known as an aural warning. 
         [0003]    On aircraft, aural warnings are audible signals or messages that are sounded within the flight deck when the aircraft is in a particular situation. Typically, aural warnings are emitted from speakers mounted within the flight deck, separate from the equipment used by the pilot for radio communication (e.g., a communications radio and headset). This configuration helps to ensure that the signal is heard regardless of whether or not the pilot is wearing the headset. Additionally, the volume at which aural warnings are emitted is typically set to a very high level to ensure that such a warning is heard by the pilot when the ambient noise level in on the flight deck is high. 
         [0004]    However, due to the wide variety of conditions an aircraft may experience, the ambient noise level on the flight deck may vary considerably. For example, when the aircraft is on the ground with the engines idling (or not running), the ambient noise level on the flight deck is relatively low, but at high altitudes and speeds, with the engines at full throttle, the ambient noise level can reach relatively high levels. 
         [0005]    The pre-set high volume of the aural warnings works well most notably when the ambient noise in the cockpit is high. However, at low ambient noise levels, such a loud aural warning can be potentially startling and uncomfortable for the pilot and any others on the flight deck, as well as those in the passenger compartment of the aircraft. Furthermore, some aviation regulatory authorities may not allow the aural warning system to include a volume control for the pilot to ensure that the aural warnings are heard at the high ambient noise levels. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system and method for adjusting the volume of an audible indication, such as an aural warning. In addition, it is desirable to provide such a system and method in a reliable manner. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    A method for providing an audible indication to an operator of a vehicle is provided. An operational state of the vehicle is determined. The audible volume at which the audible indication is provided to the operator is varied based at least in part on said determined operational state of the vehicle. 
         [0008]    An avionics system is provided. A speaker is mounted on a flight deck of an aircraft to provide an audible indication to an operator of the aircraft. A gain amplifier is coupled to the speaker to provide a gain to an audio signal provided to the speaker. A processor is in operable communication with the speaker and the gain amplifier. The processor is configured to determine an operational state of the aircraft based on at least one of a configuration of the aircraft and an atmospheric condition and vary the audible volume at which the audible indication is provided to the operator based at least in part on said determined operational state of the aircraft. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram schematically illustrating a vehicle including a flight deck and a avionics/flight system; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a navigation and control subsystem within the avionics/flight system illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a system and/or method for adjusting the volume of an audible indication according to one embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a graphical comparison of ambient noise levels present on a flight deck and predetermined gain factors applied to aural warning signals. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. In this regard, the present invention may be described in terms of functional block diagrams and various processing steps. It should be appreciated that such functional blocks may be realized in many different forms of hardware, firmware, and/or software components configured to perform the various functions. For example, the present invention may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, look-up tables, and the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Such general techniques are known to those skilled in the art and are not described in detail herein. Moreover, it should be understood that the exemplary process illustrated may include additional or fewer steps or may be performed in the context of a larger processing scheme. Furthermore, the various methods presented in the drawing Figures or the specification are not to be construed as limiting the order in which the individual processing steps may be performed. It should be appreciated that the particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative of the invention and its best mode and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the invention in any way. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a vehicle  10 , such as an aircraft, according to one embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle  10  may be, in one embodiment, any one of a number of different types of aircraft such as, for example, a private propeller or jet engine driven airplane, a commercial jet liner, or a helicopter. In the depicted embodiment, the vehicle  10  includes a flight deck  12  (or cockpit) and an avionics/flight system  14 . Although not specifically illustrated, it should be understood that the vehicle  10  also includes a frame or body to which the flight deck  12  and the avionics/flight system  14  are connected, as is commonly understood. It should also be noted that vehicle  10  is merely exemplary and could be implemented without one or more of the depicted components, systems, and data sources. It will additionally be appreciated that the vehicle  10  could be implemented with one or more additional components, systems, or data sources. 
         [0016]    In one embodiment, the flight deck  12  includes a user interface  16 , a plurality of display devices  18  and  20 , a communications radio  22 , a navigational radio  24 , and an audio device  26 . The user interface  16  is configured to receive input from a user  28  (e.g., a pilot) and, in response to the user input, supply command signals to the avionics/flight system  14 . The user interface  16  may be any one, or combination, of various known user interface devices including, but not limited to, a cursor control device (CCD)  30 , such as a mouse, a trackball, or joystick, and/or a keyboard, one or more buttons, switches, or knobs. In the depicted embodiment, the user interface  16  includes a CCD  30  and a keyboard  32 . The user  28  uses the CCD  30  to, among other things, move a cursor symbol on the display screen, and may use the keyboard  32  to, among other things, input textual data. 
         [0017]    Still referring to  FIG. 1 , the display devices  18  and  20  are each used to display various images and data, in a graphic, iconic, and a textual format, and to supply visual feedback to the user  28  in response to user input commands supplied by the user  28  to the user interface  16 . It will be appreciated that the display devices  18  and  20  may each be implemented using any one of numerous known displays suitable for rendering image and/or text data in a format viewable by the user  28 , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, a LCD (liquid crystal display), a TFT (thin film transistor) displays, or a heads up display (HUD) projection. 
         [0018]    The communication radio  22  is used, as is commonly understood, to communicate with entities outside the vehicle  10 , such as air-traffic controllers and pilots of other aircraft. Although not illustrated, the communications radio  22  may include a microphone and speaker, such as on a headset which the user  28  operates to receive and send vocal messages. The navigational radio  24  is used to receive from outside sources and communicate to the user various types of information regarding the location of the vehicle, such as Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system and Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) (as described below). 
         [0019]    The audio device  26  is, in one embodiment, an audio speaker mounted within the flight deck  12 . As shown, the audio device  26  is, in one embodiment, separated from the communications radio  22  and the navigational radio  24 , and thus provides an audio indication, or signal, separate from any information or messages being transmitted to the user via the communications radio  22  and/or the navigational radio  24 . In another embodiment, the audio device  26  is a headet, similar to the headset used with the communications radio  22 . 
         [0020]    The avionics/flight system  14  includes a runway awareness and advisory system (RAAS)  36 , an instrument landing system (ILS)  38 , a flight director  40 , a weather data source  42 , a terrain avoidance warning system (TAWS)  44 , a traffic and collision avoidance system (TCAS)  46 , a plurality of sensors  48 , one or more navigational databases  50 , one or more terrain databases  52 , a navigation and control system  54 , and a processor  56 . The various components of the avionics/flight system  14  are in operable communication via a data bus  58  (or avionics bus). 
         [0021]    The RAAS  36  provides improved situational awareness to help lower the probability of runway incursions by providing timely aural advisories to the flight crew during taxi, takeoff, final approach, landing and rollout. The ILS  38  is a radio navigation system that provides aircraft with horizontal and vertical guidance just before and during landing and, at certain fixed points, indicates the distance to the reference point of landing. The flight director  40 , as is generally known, supplies command data representative of commands for piloting the aircraft in response to flight crew entered data, or various inertial and avionics data received from external systems. The weather data source  42  provides data representative of at least the location and type of various weather cells. The TAWS  44  supplies data representative of the location of terrain that may be a threat to the aircraft, and the TCAS  46  supplies data representative of other aircraft in the vicinity, which may include, for example, speed, direction, altitude, and altitude trend. Although not illustrated, the sensors  48  may include, for example, a barometric pressure sensor, a thermometer, and a wind speed sensor. 
         [0022]    The navigation databases  50  include various types of navigation-related data, and the terrain databases  52  include various types of data representative of the terrain over which the aircraft may fly. These navigation-related data include various flight plan related data such as, for example, waypoints, distances between waypoints, headings between waypoints, data related to different airports, navigational aids, obstructions, special use airspace, political boundaries, communication frequencies, and aircraft approach information. 
         [0023]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the navigation and control system  54  includes a flight management system (FMS)  60 , a control display unit (CDU)  62 , an autopilot or automated guidance system  64 , multiple flight control surfaces  66  (e.g., ailerons, elevators, and a rudder), an Air Data Computer (ADC)  68 , an altimeter  70 , an Air Data System (ADS)  72 , a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system  74 , an automatic direction (ADF)  76 , a compass  78 , at least one engine  80 , and gear (i.e., landing gear)  81 . Although not shown, the ADS  26  may include a pitostatic tube system, as is commonly understood in the art. The navigation and control system  54  may also incorporate the data bus  58 , through which the various components of the navigation and control system  54 , as well as the entire vehicle  10 , may be in operable communication. It should be understood that the vehicle  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is merely of an example of an embodiment of the invention. As such, the vehicle  10  may include other components, system, and subsystems, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, such as military devices, such as weapons and targeting systems, and additional systems, such as a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) system. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the processor  56  may be any one of numerous known general-purpose microprocessors or an application specific processor that operates in response to program instructions. In the depicted embodiment, the processor  56  includes on-board RAM (random access memory)  82 , and on-board ROM (read only memory)  84 . The program instructions that control the processor  56  may be stored in either or both the RAM  82  and the ROM  84 . For example, the operating system software may be stored in the ROM  84 , whereas various operating mode software routines and various operational parameters may be stored in the RAM  82 . It will be appreciated that this is merely exemplary of one scheme for storing operating system software and software routines, and that various other storage schemes may be implemented. It will also be appreciated that the processor  56  may be implemented using various other circuits, not just a programmable processor. For example, digital logic circuits and analog signal processing circuits could also be used. 
         [0025]    Still referring to  FIG. 1 , the avionics/flight system  14  also includes a gain amplifier  83  electrically connected to the audio device  26  on the flight deck  12  and in operable communication with the processor  56 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  illustrates a system and/or method  85  for adjusting the volume of an audible indication, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the method  85  incorporates the data bus  58 , at least one of the displays  18 , the gain amplifier  83  and the audio device  26 , and further includes a variety of inputs  86 - 104  and a warning generator  106 . In the depicted embodiment, the inputs include data representative of faults  86 , indications  88 , elevator position  90 , aileron position  92 , rudder position  94 , trim  96 , engine reading (e.g., actual power level or throttle)  98 , airspeed  100 , altitude  102 , and air temperature  104 . As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the various inputs  86 - 104  are generated by at least one of the respective components of the vehicle  10  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . It should also be understood that the inputs  86 - 104  shown in  FIG. 3  are intended to be merely an exemplary list of some of possible inputs that could be used and other inputs may be generated by other components of the vehicle  10  which are illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Additionally, as suggested above, additional inputs may be provided by additional components of the vehicle  10  with are not illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , such as dynamic pressure and turbulence. 
         [0027]    For example, the indications  88  may include data from the TAWS  44  concerning an elevation increase along the current flight path due to a mountain, or other terrain, or data from the TCAS  46  regarding the location of another aircraft. The elevator, aileron, and rudder positions  90 ,  92 , and  94 , may be readings from navigation and control system  54  indicating the positions of those respective flight control surfaces. The engine reading  98  may be an indication of the current throttle setting (e.g., half or full) of the engine  80 . The engine reading  80 , along with the positions of the flight control surfaces, may define a current configuration of the vehicle  10 . The airspeed  100 , the altitude  102 , and the temperature  104  may be readings taken from various sensors on the vehicle, as is commonly understood. The readings from such sensors may define a current a current atmospheric condition (i.e., the condition of the portion of the atmosphere through which the vehicle  10  is currently traveling). The combination of the vehicle configuration and the atmospheric conditions may define a current or present operational state of the aircraft, as will be discussed in greater detail below. 
         [0028]    The inputs  86 - 104  are each supplied, via the data bus  58 , to the warning generator  106 . The warning generator  106 , which in one embodiment is implemented via instructions stored on a computer-readable medium accessible by the processor  56 , includes an input/output (I/O) module  108 , a monitor warning module  110 , a graphics generator function (GGF)  112 , and an aural warnings module  114 . The I/O module  108  includes a plurality of interfaces to receive the various signals and data from the other components of the vehicle and to send the appropriate information to the monitor warning module  110 . The monitor warning module  110  monitors the inputs  86 - 104  for situations (e.g., faults  86  and indications  88 ) that indicate that an appropriate warning should be provided to the user  28  of the vehicle  10 . When such a condition occurs, the monitor warning module  110  sends an appropriate signal to the GGF  112  which generates an appropriate visual warning that is sent to, and displayed by, the display device  18  (and/or  20 ). As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, some warning situations will result in both visual and audio warnings (or aural warnings) being provided to the user  28 . Examples of such warning situations include, but are not limited to, an autopilot disconnect, overspeed, engine failure, low fuel, fire, and low altitude. 
         [0029]    In a situation in which an aural warning is supplied, the monitor warning module  110  also sends an appropriate signal to the aural warning module  114 . As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the aural warning module  114  generates an appropriate aural warning signal based on the inputs  86 - 104 . The aural warning signal is then sent to the gain amplifier  83 , which applies a gain, or gain factor, to the aural warning signal before sending the aural warning signal to the audio device. The audio device  26  receives the aural warning signal and emits an appropriate audible indication, or aural warning. For example, if the vehicle  10  is on approach for landing and is traveling at an undesirably high speed, the aural warning may be a repeated announciation of the word “overspeed.” Likewise, if the vehicle  10  is running low on fuel, the aural warning may be a repeated announciation of the word “low fuel.” The volume at which the aural warning is emitted from the audio device  26  is dependent upon the gain factor applied by the gain amplifier  83 . 
         [0030]    The aural warning module  114  also receives the various inputs  86 - 104  from the data bus  58  and signals the gain amplifier  83  to apply a specific, predetermined gain factor based on the current state of the vehicle  10 . The current state of the vehicle  10  is determined by the combination of the particular inputs  86 - 104  that are present on the data bus  58 . In one embodiment, the aural warning module  114  includes an algorithm that determines (or predicts) the ambient noise level present on the flight deck  12  based on the inputs  90 - 104 . In another embodiment, the aural warning module  114  includes a database of measured ambient noise levels on the flight deck  12  for particular combinations of inputs  90 - 104 . As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the measurements for the ambient noise levels on the flight deck may be taken during test flights of the type and model of aircraft. Of particular interest is that fact that, in at least one embodiment, the ambient noise level on the flight deck is not detected, such as via a microphone, but is rather calculated or determined by the current state of the vehicle  10 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 4  graphically illustrates a comparison of ambient noise levels on the flight deck  12  and the gain factors applied by the gain amplifier  83 . In the depicted embodiment, the gain amplifier  83  applies one of ten predetermined gain factors  116 - 134  depending on the ambient noise level on the flight deck. For relatively low levels of ambient noise, a minimum gain factor  116  is applied such that the aural warning is emitted from the audio device at a minimum volume, which because of the low ambient noise level on the flight deck  12 , allows the user to hear the aural warning without the warning being uncomfortably loud. An example of a situation (e.g., combination of inputs  86 - 104  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 ) with a low ambient noise level is the aircraft being on the ground (i.e., “weight on wheels) with the engine at a minimum, or idle, throttle setting. 
         [0032]    However, for higher levels of ambient noise, the gain factor is increased based on the particular inputs  90 - 104  present on the data bus  58 , and thus the determined state of the aircraft. One example of a situation, or aircraft state, with a high level of ambient noise is the aircraft flying at a high altitude, at full throttle, at a high speed. High ambient noise levels also occur, for example, during take off with the engines at full throttle and the flaps of the aircraft completely activated. In such situations, the gain factor is appropriate increased such that the aural warning is emitted on the flight deck at a volume sufficient for the warning to be heard by the user. 
         [0033]    In one embodiment, as the determined ambient noise level increases, the gain factor is automatically increased to the next predetermined level. That is, for an ambient noise level that falls between gain factor  122  and gain factor  124 , gain factor  124  is automatically applied, as opposed to applying a gain factor that is greater than gain factor  122  but less than gain factor  124 . As such, as the gain factor, as well as the volume of the aural warning, increases as a series of steps as the ambient noise level increases to further ensure that the aural warning is at a volume sufficient to be heard by the pilot over the ambient noise on the flight deck  12 . 
         [0034]    One advantage of the system and method described above is that because the volume of the aural warnings is adjusted based on the ambient noise level on the flight deck, the aural warnings are sounded at volumes loud enough to be heard by the user over the ambient noise on the flight deck without being uncomfortably loud when the ambient noise on the flight deck is low. As a result, the comfort level of the user is improved. Another advantage is that because the gain factors, and thus volumes of the aural warnings, are set at predetermined levels based on the ambient noise level on the flight deck, the possibility that the user could tamper with the volume settings of the aural warnings is reduced. A further advantage is that because the volume of the aural warnings is adjusted without actively detecting the ambient noise level in the cockpit, the reliability of the system is improved. 
         [0035]    Other embodiments may be utilized in vehicles other than aircraft, such as automobiles and watercraft. It should also be understood that the audio indication provided by the audio device is not intended to be limited to warnings, but may be any audible signal that is intended to be heard by a user of the vehicle regardless of the situation. 
         [0036]    While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.