METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING PART OF AN AIRPORT ON A VIEWING SCREEN

• US 20090121900A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus France
• Inventors: FETZMANN, Fabien
• Granted Patent: US 7,710,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/971
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

The invention concerns a device (1) comprising means (7) for searching for elements of the airport which are displayed on a display field of a screen (9), means (10) for verifying, for each of said elements, whether it forms part of a first group for which a main anchoring point is located inside a label zone or of a second group for which the main anchoring point is located outside the label zone, means (13) for determining, for the elements of the second group, a secondary anchoring point located at an intersection between an axis of said element and the label zone, and means (15) for presenting on the screen (9) for each element a label comprising data concerning said element, the labels associated with the first group being located at the main point and those associated with the second group at the secondary anchoring zone.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A method of displaying at least one part of an airport comprising a plurality of elements (E1 to E7) on a display field (8) of a viewing screen (9),

wherein the following series of successive steps is carried out in an automatic and repetitive manner:

a) a search is conducted for the set of elements (E1 to E5, E7) of the airport which are displayed on said display field (8) of the viewing screen (9);

b) for each of the elements (E1 to E5, E7) found in step a), a check is carried out to verify whether it forms part;

of a first group for which a main anchoring point (P1), associated with the element and situated on the latter, lies inside a label zone (12) which is defined inside said display field (8) of the viewing screen (9);

or

of a second group, for which the associated main anchoring point (P1) is situated outside said label zone (12);

c) for all the elements (E1 to E5, E7) of the second group, an auxiliary anchoring point (P2) which is situated at the intersection point between a central axis (A1 to AS, A7) of said element (E1 to ES, E7) and said label zone (12) is determined each time; and

d) for each of the elements (E1 to E5, E7) found in step a), an associated label (L3 to L5, L7) which comprises information relating to said element is presented on said display field (8) of the viewing screen (9), the labels associated with said elements of the first group being situated at the corresponding main anchoring point (P1), and the labels (L3 to L5, L7) associated with said elements (E1 to E5, E7) of the second group being situated at the corresponding auxiliary anchoring point (P2).

13. The method as claimed in claim 12,

wherein said main anchoring point (P1) is situated at the center of the corresponding element (E7).

14. The method as claimed in claim 12,

wherein, in the event of double intersection between the central axis (A2) of an element (E2) and the label zone (12), the intersection point which is situated longitudinally nearest the center of said element (E2) is determined as auxiliary anchoring point (P2).

15. The method as claimed in claim 12,

wherein, if the angle (α

) between the central axis (A1) of an element (E1) and the horizontal (H) is greater than a predetermined value, the presentation of the label corresponding to step d) is removed.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12,

wherein in step d), each label is presented horizontally.

20. An aircraft,

wherein it comprises a device (1) capable of implementing the method specified under claim 12.

17. A device for displaying at least one part of an airport comprising a plurality of elements (E1 to E7) on a display field (8) of a viewing screen (9),

wherein it comprises:

first means (7) for searching for the set of elements (E1 to E5, E7) of the airport which are displayed on said display field (8) of the viewing screen (9);

second means (10) for verifying, for each of the elements (E1 to E5, E7) found by said first means (7), whether it forms part;

of a first group for which a main anchoring point (P1), associated with the element and situated on the latter, lies inside a label zone (12) which is defined inside said display field (8) of the viewing screen (9);

or

of a second group, for which the associated main anchoring point (P1) is situated outside said label zone (12);

third means (13) for determining each time, for all the elements (E1 to E5, E7) of the second group, an auxiliary anchoring point (P2) which is situated at the intersection point between a central axis (A1 to AS, A7) of said element (E1 to E5, E7) and said label zone (12); and

fourth means (15) for presenting, on said display field (8) of the viewing screen (9), an associated label (L3 to L5, L7) which comprises information relating to said element, the labels associated with said elements of the first group being situated at the corresponding main anchoring point (PI), and the labels (L3 to L5, L7) associated with said elements (E1 to E5, E7) of the second group being situated at the corresponding auxiliary anchoring point (P2).

18. The device as claimed in claim 17,

wherein it comprises, moreover, a means (17) for deactivating the presentation of a label associated with an element (E1), which is implemented by said fourth means (15), when the angle (α

) between the central axis (A1) of said element (E1) and the horizontal (H) is greater than a predetermined value.

19. A display system comprising:

a cartographic database (3) of the airport;

actuation means (5) allowing an operator to control a plurality of functions of said display system (2); and

a display device (1) capable of displaying at least one part of the airport on a viewing screen (9), wherein said display device (1) is of the type of that specified under claim 17.

21. An aircraft,

wherein it comprises a device (1) such as that specified under claim 17.

22. An aircraft,

wherein it comprises a system (2) such as that specified under claim 19.