Visualization of an object using a visual query system

• US 10,331,295 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Prazak, Nikoli E., Gass, John Carney
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US15/003,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20160139769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 345419, 345424, 715764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/28 Fuselage, exterior or interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for visualizing data about an object. A hierarchy of image blocks is generated using an action scheme and a part. Instructions identifying a hierarchy of image blocks and the action scheme are generated. The hierarchy of image blocks is communicated to a graphical user interface. An image area is identified in an image block in the hierarchy of image blocks in the graphical user interface. A query is generated to identify a location of the part within the object. The query is based on a type of search, a spatial region, and the action scheme. An indicator representing the location of the part identified by the query is displayed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for locating a part within an object, the method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a hierarchy of image blocks using an action scheme and a part, wherein each image block in the hierarchy of image blocks comprises an image of the object;

generating, by the processor, instructions identifying the hierarchy of image blocks, the action scheme, and the part;

communicating, by the processor, the hierarchy of image blocks to a graphical user interface;

identifying, by the processor, an image area in an image block in the hierarchy of image blocks in the graphical user interface, wherein the image area identifies a spatial region within the object;

generating, by the processor, a search window having a type menu indicating a type of search to perform, wherein the type of search is further generated from one of a location within the spatial region within the object or a part number for the part;

generating, by the processor, a query to identify a location of the part within the object, wherein the query is based on the type of search, the spatial region, and the action scheme; and

displaying an indicator on an image of the object to indicate the location of the part within the object identified by the query.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring for user input selecting the image area.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating a new image block at a next level in the hierarchy of image blocks; and

displaying a new image corresponding to the new image block in the graphical user interface.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating visualization information to be sent to a visualization system for use in visually presenting data of interest to a user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein generating the visualization information comprises:

running the query to filter the data about the object based on the selection of the image area.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein running the query to filter the data about the object comprises:

running the query to filter the data about the object based on the selection of the image area, wherein the data about the object comprises a number of models for the object and object data.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein generating the visualization information comprises:

generating the visualization information in which the visualization information includes spatial information identifying the spatial region with respect to which the data of interest is to be visually presented to the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein generating the visualization information comprises:

generating the visualization information in which the visualization information includes a number of visualization effects to be used by the visualization system when visually presenting the data of interest to the user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the object is an aircraft.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the hierarchy of image blocks comprises a root image block upon which a remainder of the image blocks is based, and wherein the root image block is selected from one of an image of a manufacturing facility within which the aircraft is assembled or an image of the aircraft.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the indicator representing the location of the part identified by the query is displayed on the root image.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identification of the image area in the image block in the hierarchy of image blocks comprises:

generating a new image block at a next level in the hierarchy of image blocks to display a new image corresponding to the new image block to the user through the graphical user interface.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action scheme includes displaying a next level of hierarchy in the hierarchy of image blocks.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a visual query system having a processor configured to;

generate a hierarchy of image blocks using an action and a part within an object wherein each image block in the hierarchy of image blocks comprises an image of the object;

generate instructions identifying the hierarchy of image blocks, the action scheme, and the part;

communicate the hierarchy of image blocks to a graphical user interface;

identify an image area in an image block in the hierarchy of image blocks in the graphical user interface, wherein the image area identifies a spatial region within the object;

generate a search window having a type menu indicating a type of search to perform;

wherein the type of search is further generated from one of a location within the spatial region within the object or a part number for the part;

generate a query to identify a location of the part within the object, wherein the query is based on the type of search, the spatial region, and the action scheme; and

display an indicator on an image of an object to represent the location of the part within the object identified by the query.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the visual query system comprises:

a controller configured to receive the instructions and configured to receive user input selecting the image area through the graphical user interface.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the visual query system is further configured to:

load a new image block at a next level in the hierarchy of image blocks; and

display a new image corresponding to the new image block in the graphical user interface.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the object is an aircraft.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the hierarchy of image blocks comprises a root image block upon which a remainder of the image blocks is based, and wherein the root image block is an image of a manufacturing facility within which the aircraft is assembled.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

the visualization system, wherein the visualization system and the visual query system form an integrated visualizer.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the integrated visualizer is configured to allow a user to visualize object data for each of a plurality of objects and visually query for a portion of the object data corresponding to one of the plurality of objects based on a number of search criteria in which the object data includes at least one of design data, engineering data, geometry data, attribute data, part data, manufacturing data, production data, maintenance data, or work order data.