Airport display method including changing zoom scales

• US 20040201596A1
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus France
• Inventors: Lemoult, Frederic, Fetzmann, Fabien, Coldefy, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 7,230,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

An airport display method including the steps of providing data related to an airport, selecting a degree of zoom for the airport to be displayed on a displayed from a plurality of different degrees of zoom, controlling the display to display in the at least one window the airport according to a scale value representative of the degree of zoom selected in the selecting step and changing the scale value representative of the degree of zoom.

Claims

1. An airport display method, comprising the steps of:

providing data related to an airport;

selecting a degree of zoom for the airport to be displayed on a display from a plurality of different degrees of zoom;

controlling the display to display in the at least one window the airport according to a scale value representative of the degree of zoom selected in the selecting step; and

changing the scale value representative of the degree of zoom.

2. The airport display method according to claim 1,

wherein the selecting step includes the step of zooming in and zooming out between a maximum zoom value and a minimum zoom value so as to display different detailed views of the airport.

3. The airport display method according to claim 1,

wherein the selecting step includes the steps of:

a first step of displaying the airport in the window according to a first predefined zoom degree corresponding to general navigation including a full display of the airport;

a second step of displaying the airport in the window according to a second predefined zoom degree corresponding to proximity navigation including a plurality of details of the airport; and

a third step of displaying the airport in the window according to a third predefined zoom degree corresponding to airport details required for precision taxiing.

4. The airport display method according to claim 1,

wherein the selecting step includes the step of automatically reconfiguring the display such that a moving vehicle on the airport that includes the display is displayed in a center of the window.

5. The airport display method according to claim 1,

wherein the selecting step includes the step of displaying predefined portions of the airport in a cyclic manner based on selections of the selecting step.

6. The airport display method according to claim 1,

wherein the selecting step includes the step of automatically displaying the entire airport on the window upon selection of the automatically displaying step and to redisplay a portion of the airport being displayed prior to selection of the automatically displaying step upon another selection of the automatically displaying step.

7. The airport display method according to claim 1,

wherein the selecting step includes the step of selecting a portion of the airport such that the portion of the airport is displayed in the window.

8. The airport display method according to claim 1,

wherein the selecting step includes the step of displacing a view of the airport being displayed on the window in horizontal and vertical directions so as to display other portions of the airport.

9. The airport display method according to claim 1,

wherein the controlling step displays two different degrees of zoom in a continuous manner such that a change from the first degree of zoom to the second degree of zoom appears continuous to an operator viewing the display.

10. An airport display method, comprising the steps of:

providing data related to an airport;

reconfiguring a zoom characteristic from an initial maximum zoom value to a new final maximum value such that different types of airports may be displayed with a single display device; and

displaying different views of the airport using the reconfigured zoom characteristics.

11. The airport display method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

a first step of displaying the airport in the window according to a first predefined zoom degree corresponding to general navigation including a full display of the airport;

a second step of displaying the airport in the window according to a second predefined zoom degree corresponding to proximity navigation including a plurality of details of the airport; and

a third step of displaying the airport in the window according to a third predefined zoom degree corresponding to airport details required for precision taxiing.

12. The airport display method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

automatically reconfiguring the display such that a moving vehicle on the airport that includes the display is displayed in a center of the window.

13. The airport display method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

displaying predefined portions of the airport in a cyclic manner based on selections of the selecting step.

14. The airport display method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

automatically displaying the entire airport on the window upon selection of the automatically displaying step and to redisplay a portion of the airport being displayed prior to selection of the automatically displaying step upon another selection of the automatically displaying step.

15. The airport display method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

selecting a portion of the airport such that the portion of the airport is displayed in the window.

16. The airport display method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

displacing a view of the airport being displayed on the window in horizontal and vertical directions so as to display other portions of the airport.

17. The airport display method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

displaying two different degrees of zoom in a continuous manner such that a change from the first degree of zoom to the second degree of zoom appears continuous to an operator viewing the display.