METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ATTITUDE DIFFERENTIATION IN ENHANCED VISION IMAGES

• US 20120026190A1
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: He, Gang, Feyereisen, Thea L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,494,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• 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: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for displaying information on a flight deck display onboard an aircraft. An exemplary method comprises obtaining image data for an imaging region and displaying, on the display device, a graphical representation of a first portion of the image data using a first visually distinguishable characteristic and a graphical representation of a second portion of the image data using a second visually distinguishable characteristic. The first portion corresponds to a portion of the image data above an attitude reference and the second portion corresponds to a portion of the image data below the attitude reference, and the first visually distinguishable characteristic and the second visually distinguishable characteristic are different.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information on a display device associated with a vehicle, the method comprising:

obtaining image data for an imaging region proximate the vehicle;

displaying, on the display device, a graphical representation of a first portion of the image data using a first visually distinguishable characteristic, the first portion corresponding to a portion of the image data above an attitude reference; and

displaying, on the display device, a graphical representation of a second portion of the image data using a second visually distinguishable characteristic, the second portion corresponding to a portion of the image data below the attitude reference, wherein the first visually distinguishable characteristic and the second visually distinguishable characteristic are different.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering a primary flight display on the display device, the primary flight display including a synthetic perspective view of terrain, wherein the graphical representation of the first portion of the image data and the graphical representation of the second portion of the image data are displayed overlying the synthetic perspective view of terrain.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a first color corresponding to the synthetic perspective view of terrain proximate the second portion of the image data, wherein:

displaying the graphical representation of the second portion comprises displaying the graphical representation of the second portion in the first color; and

displaying the graphical representation of the first portion comprises displaying the graphical representation of the first portion in a second color, the first color and the second color being different.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising rendering a zero pitch reference line corresponding to the zero pitch orientation of the vehicle on the primary flight display, wherein:

the attitude reference corresponds to the zero pitch orientation of the vehicle;

the first portion is displayed above the zero pitch reference line; and

the second portion is displayed below the zero pitch reference line.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifying the first portion and the second portion based on a relationship between the image data and the zero pitch reference line.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the first portion and the second portion based on a current attitude of the vehicle and an orientation of the imaging device with respect to the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

displaying the graphical representation of the first portion comprises displaying the graphical representation of the first portion with a first transparency; and

displaying the graphical representation of the second portion comprises displaying the graphical representation of the second portion with a second transparency, the first transparency being greater than the second transparency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle is an aircraft; and

the method further comprises the steps of;

identifying a current flight phase for the aircraft; and

identifying the first visually distinguishable characteristic or the second visually distinguishable characteristic based on the flight phase of the aircraft.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

identifying the first visually distinguishable characteristic or the second visually distinguishable characteristic based on the flight phase of the aircraft comprises identifying a transparency for the first portion of the image data based on the current flight phase; and

displaying the graphical representation of the first portion comprises displaying the graphical representation of the first portion with the identified transparency.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

identifying the first visually distinguishable characteristic or the second visually distinguishable characteristic based on the flight phase of the aircraft comprises identifying a color for the second portion of the image data based on the current flight phase; and

displaying the graphical representation of the second portion comprises displaying the graphical representation of the second portion in the identified color.

11. A display system comprising:

a display device having a primary flight display rendered thereon;

an imaging device configured to obtain image data for a region; and

a processing system coupled to the display device and the imaging device, wherein the processing system is configured to display a graphical representation of the image data on the primary flight display, wherein a first portion of the graphical representation is visually distinguishable from a second portion of the graphical representation, the first portion corresponding to image data above an attitude reference and the second portion corresponding to image data below the attitude reference.

12. The display system of claim 11, the display device, the imaging device, and the processing system being onboard an aircraft, wherein:

the primary flight display comprises a graphical representation of terrain proximate the aircraft; and

the graphical representation of the image data is displayed overlying the graphical representation of terrain.

13. The display system of claim 12, wherein the graphical representation of terrain comprises a synthetic perspective view of terrain corresponding to a flight deck viewpoint.

14. The display system of claim 12, wherein the second portion is displayed having a color corresponding to a color of the graphical representation of terrain proximate the second portion.

15. The display system of claim 14, wherein the first portion is substantially transparent.

16. The display system of claim 11, wherein:

the imaging device is onboard an aircraft;

the attitude reference corresponds to a zero pitch orientation of the aircraft

the primary flight display includes a zero pitch reference line corresponding to the zero pitch orientation of the aircraft;

the first portion is displayed above the zero pitch reference line; and

the second portion is displayed below the zero pitch reference line.

17. The display system of claim 11, wherein:

the imaging device is onboard an aircraft; and

the processing system is configured to;

obtain a current attitude of the aircraft; and

identify the first portion and the second portion based on the current attitude of the aircraft and an orientation of the imaging device with respect to the aircraft.

18. The display system of claim 11, further comprising an input device coupled to the processing system to receive input indicative of a first visually distinguishable characteristic and a second visually distinguishable characteristic, wherein:

the first portion is displayed using the first visually distinguishable characteristic;

the second portion is displayed using the second visually distinguishable characteristic; and

the first visually distinguishable characteristic and the second visually distinguishable characteristic are different.

19. A flight deck display for an aircraft, the flight deck display having rendered thereon a primary flight display comprising:

a synthetic perspective view of terrain for a region proximate the aircraft; and

a graphical representation of image data overlying the synthetic perspective view of terrain, the image data being obtained from an imaging device onboard the aircraft, wherein;

a first portion of the graphical representation of the image data is visually distinguishable from a second portion of the graphical representation of the image data; and

the first portion corresponds to image data above an attitude reference; and

the second portion corresponds to image data below the attitude reference.

20. The flight deck display of claim 19, the attitude reference corresponding to a zero pitch orientation of the aircraft, wherein:

the primary flight display comprises a zero pitch reference line corresponding to the zero pitch orientation of the aircraft;

the first portion is displayed above the zero pitch reference line;

the second portion is displayed below the zero pitch reference line;

a transparency of the first portion is greater than a transparency of the second portion; and

a color of the second portion corresponds to the synthetic perspective view of terrain proximate the second portion.