System and method for eliminating terrain color confusion in aircraft displays

• US 20060220920A1
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Gannon, Aaron J., McCauley, Stephen G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,327,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/963
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935

Abstract

An improved system and method for eliminating terrain color confusion in aircraft displays are disclosed. An aircraft display system is described that includes a database for storing terrain data, a processing unit, an altitude determination unit, and a visual display. As the aircraft proceeds along a flight path, the processing unit determines the aircraft'"'"'s current position and compares associated terrain elevation data stored in the database with altitude data received from the altitude determination unit. For example, if the processing unit'"'"'s comparison of the stored terrain data and altitude data indicates that relative terrain data need not be displayed, then the processing unit provides absolute terrain color renderings to the display. However, if the processing unit'"'"'s comparison of the stored terrain data and altitude data indicates that relative terrain data should be displayed, then the processing unit removes the hue from the absolute terrain color renderings on the display and replaces the color, for example, with a grayscale. Therefore, by removing color from an absolute terrain layer if relative terrain color information is displayed, the present invention eliminates terrain color confusion between the absolute and relative terrain data shown on an aircraft'"'"'s display.

Claims

1. A system for eliminating terrain color confusion in a visual display, comprising:

an altitude determination unit, said altitude determination unit operable to determine a current altitude of an airborne vehicle;

a data storage unit, said data storage unit operable to store a first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of relative terrain data elements; and

a processing unit coupled to said altitude determination unit and said data storage unit, said processing unit operable to;

receive said current altitude of said airborne vehicle from said altitude determination unit;

retrieve said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and said second plurality of relative terrain data elements from said data storage unit;

compare said current altitude of said airborne vehicle with said second plurality of relative terrain data elements; and

if said comparison of said current altitude of said airborne vehicle and said second plurality of relative terrain data elements indicates that an elevation associated with at least one relative terrain data element of said second plurality of relative terrain data elements is greater than or equal to a predefined elevation associated with said current altitude of said airborne vehicle, generate a first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said at least one relative terrain data element.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said processing unit is further operable to:

generate a first plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements, if said comparison of said current altitude of said airborne vehicle and said second plurality of relative terrain data elements indicates that said elevation associated with said at least one relative terrain data element of said second plurality of relative terrain data elements is less than said predefined elevation associated with said current altitude of said airborne vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a visual display coupled to said processing unit, said visual display operable to display a visual representation of said first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and said second plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said at least one relative terrain data element.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said second plurality of color coded visual display control signals includes at least one color signal representing a color of green, yellow or red.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals includes at least one signal representing a gray hue.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said altitude determination unit comprises an aircraft altitude sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said data storage unit comprises a terrain database.

8. An aircraft situational awareness display system, comprising:

an altitude sensing device;

a terrain database; and

a processor coupled to said altitude sensing device and said terrain database, said processor operable to;

receive a current altitude of said aircraft from said altitude sensing device;

retrieve absolute terrain data and relative terrain data from said terrain database;

compare said current altitude with said relative terrain data; and

if said comparison of said current altitude and said relative terrain data indicates that said relative terrain data should be displayed, generating non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said absolute terrain data and color coded visual display control signals associated with said relative terrain data.

9. A method for eliminating terrain color confusion in a visual display, comprising the steps of:

determining a current altitude of an airborne vehicle;

retrieving a first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of relative terrain data elements;

comparing said current altitude of said airborne vehicle with said second plurality of relative terrain data elements; and

if a result of said comparing step indicates that an elevation associated with at least one relative terrain data element of said second plurality of relative terrain data elements is greater than or equal to a predefined elevation associated with said current altitude of said airborne vehicle, generating a first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said at least one relative terrain data element.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

generating a first plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements, if said result of said comparison step indicates that said elevation associated with said at least one relative terrain data element of said second plurality of relative terrain data elements is less than said predefined elevation associated with said current altitude of said airborne vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

displaying a visual representation of said first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and said second plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said at least one relative terrain data element.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said second plurality of color coded visual display control signals includes at least one color signal representing a color of green, yellow or red.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals includes at least one signal representing a gray hue.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step is performed by an aircraft altitude sensor.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the retrieving step is performed on a terrain database.

16. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-usable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for configuring a computer processor, the computer program product comprising;

a first executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to determine a current altitude of an airborne vehicle;

a second executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to retrieve a first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of relative terrain data elements;

a third executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to compare said current altitude of said airborne vehicle with said second plurality of relative terrain data elements; and

a fourth executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to generate a first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said at least one relative terrain data element, if a result of the compare operation indicates that an elevation associated with at least one relative terrain data element of said second plurality of relative terrain data elements is greater than or equal to a predefined elevation associated with said current altitude of said airborne vehicle.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

a fifth executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to generate a first plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements, if said result of the compare operation indicates that said elevation associated with said at least one relative terrain data element of said second plurality of relative terrain data elements is less than said predefined elevation associated with said current altitude of said airborne vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

a sixth executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to display a visual representation of said first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and said second plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said at least one relative terrain data element.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said second plurality of color coded visual display control signals includes at least one color signal representing a color of green, yellow or red.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said computer processor comprises a microprocessor.