Method to view unseen atmospheric phenomenon using augmented reality

• US 20030025714A1
• Filed: 07/10/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creative Optics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Creative Optics, Inc.
• Inventors: Ebersole, John Franklin, Ebersole, John Franklin Jr., Bastian, Mark Stanley, Madison, Richard Wade, Walker, John Franklin
• Granted Patent: US 6,903,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/632
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W

Abstract

The invention is a method for displaying otherwise unseen atmospheric phenomenon using augmented reality (the mixing of real media with computer generated media). The method uses computer generated images to represent existing weather conditions and presents this data to the user by combining the computer generated images with the user'"'"'s real environment. Computer generated images are used to represent such weather phenomenon as wake vortices, wind shear, and microbursts. These images are represented in such a way as to intuitively display relevant properties of the phenomenon to the system user, which increases the user'"'"'s situational awareness and safety. The primary intended applications are for air traffic controllers and pilots to view these disturbances.

Claims

1. A method for presenting invisible atmospheric phenomena to a user using data about atmospheric information comprising:

using a computer to render an image representing the atmospheric information;

providing an image or view of the real world;

augmenting the image or view of the real world with the rendered image; and

presenting the augmented view to the user, to disseminate atmospheric phenomenon information.

2. The method of claim 1 in which an augmented reality system is used to track the viewpoint of the user of the real world, and display the augmented view on a head mounted display.

3. The method of claim 2 in which providing an image comprises using a camera to capture the real world image, and wherein the presenting step accomplishes a display of the augmented image.

4. The method of claim 2 in which the presenting step accomplishes a display of the rendered image on a see-through head mounted display, which allows the view of the real world to be directly visible to the user through the use of partial mirrors, to which the rendered image is added.

5. The method of claim 1 in which atmospheric phenomena include aircraft wingtip vortices.

6. The method of claim 1 in which atmospheric phenomena include microbursts.

7. The method of claim 1 in which atmospheric phenomena include wind shear.

8. The method of claim 1 in which atmospheric phenomena include clear air turbulence.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the rendered image indicates the type of phenomena.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the rendered image indicates the intensity of phenomena.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the rendered image indicates the spatial extent of phenomena.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the data are derived from sensors which acquire atmospheric data.

13. The method of claim 1 in which the data are derived from direct observation by a human.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the human observations are provided by one or more pilots.

15. The method of claim 13 in which the human observations are provided by one or more air traffic controllers.

16. The method of claim 1 in which the data are derived from atmospheric computer simulation.

17. The method of claim 1 in which the rendered image comprises objects presented in single or multiple colors.

18. The method of claim 1 in which the rendering step comprises using objects of various sizes and shapes to represent atmospheric phenomena.

19. The method of claim 1 in which the rendering step comprises using an image property selected from the group of properties consisting of fuzziness, fading, transparency, and blending to represent the edges of atmospheric phenomena.

20. The method of claim 1 in which the rendering step comprises using an image property selected from the group of properties consisting of fuzziness, level of fade, transparency, and blending to represent the magnitude or intensity of atmospheric phenomena.

21. The method of claim 1 in which the rendering step comprises using icons to represent atmospheric phenomena.

22. The method of claim 1 in which the rendering step comprises using icons to represent airplanes.

23. The method of claim 1 in which the augmented view is presented on a television or computer monitor.

24. The method of claim 1 in which the augmented view is presented in a heads-up-display.

25. The method of claim 1 in which the augmented view is presented in a heads-down-display.

26. The method of claim 1 in which the augmented view is presented in a display moveable by the user, and further comprising tracking the position of the display, to present an augmented view corresponding to the position of the display.

27. The method of claim 26 in which the augmented view is presented in a handheld binocular type of display.

28. The method of claim 26 in which the augmented view is presented in a handheld monocular type of display.

29. The method of claim 26 in which the augmented view is presented in a handheld movable display.

30. The method of claim 1 in which providing an image or view of the real world comprises taking a real image with an imaging device that is not worn on the user'"'"'s head.

31. The method of claim 30 in which the viewpoint of the imaging device is a birds-eye-view.

32. The method of claim 30 in which the image of the real world is a static image.

33. The method of claim 30 in which the image of the real world is output from a radar.

34. The method of claim 30 in which the image of the real world is from a ground-based stationary imaging sensor from a known viewpoint.

35. The method of claim 30 in which the presenting step comprises displaying the augmented view on a fixed monitor.

36. The method of claim 30 in which providing an image or view of the real world comprises capturing an image with a camera that is mounted to a head-mounted or other portable display device.

37. The method of claim 1 in which information about the atmospheric phenomena can be displayed to the user via text overlaid onto a view of a real background.

38. The method of claim 37 in which the textual display is optionally displayed to the user in conjunction with the other, non-textual graphical methods described in the patent.