SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATING AND DISPLAYING AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

• US 20130016184A1
• Filed: 05/17/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spirit Aerosystems Incorporated (Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Spirit Aerosystems Incorporated (Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gabel, Bruce E., Hinson, Donald J., Wilcox, Adam Cade
• Granted Patent: US 9,082,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A system and method for locating and displaying aircraft information, such as three-dimensional models and various information about an aircraft component. The system may include a portable display, a remote processor, and one or more location and/or orientation-determining components. The models and other various information displayed on the portable display may correspond with a location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component. The location and/or orientation-determining components may include one or more infrared cameras for communicating with the remote processor and a plurality of infrared targets or infrared markers. The remote processor may be configured to filter the information provided to the portable display based on the portable display'"'"'s location and orientation relative to the aircraft component, geographic location, user input, or other various parameters.

Claims

1. A system for displaying location or orientation-dependent images and information about an aircraft component, the system comprising:

a portable display;

at least one location and/or orientation-determining component configured to output information corresponding with at least one of a location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component; and

a remote processor communicably coupled with the portable display and the location and/or orientation-determining component, wherein the remote processor is configured to update information sent from the remote processor to the portable display based on at least one of the location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component, as communicated to the remote processor by the location and/or orientation-determining component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information sent to the portable display comprises images of the aircraft component, wherein the images correspond with at least one of the location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the images are images of 3-dimensional models, panned, rotated, and zoomed based on the location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable display does not comprise an image-capturing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the location and/or orientation components comprise at least one of a geographic-location determining receiver, an accelerometer, tilt sensor, infrared camera, and inclinometer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one location and/or orientation-determining component comprises at least one infrared camera, at least one radio frequency receiver, or at least one laser receiver configured to send at least one of the location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component to the remote processor.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one infrared marker, radio frequency emitter, or laser emitter fixed to the portable display; and

at least one infrared marker, radio frequency emitter, or laser emitter fixed to the aircraft component,

wherein the infrared camera detects at least one of the location and orientation of the infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the information sent to the portable display is filtered according to at least one of geographic location of the portable display and a user'"'"'s security clearance received by at least one of the portable display and the remote processor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote processor is configured to receive a signal indicative of a location of a known point on the aircraft component and to calibrate a coordinate origin to correspond with the location of the known point.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote processor is configured to determine at least one of the location and orientation of the portable display relative to the coordinate origin.

11. A system for displaying location and orientation-dependent 3-dimensional model views, images, and information about an aircraft component, the system comprising:

a portable display having a plurality of infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters fixed thereto;

at least one location and/or orientation-determining component configured to output information corresponding with a location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component, wherein the location and/or orientation-determining component is at least one of an infrared camera, a radio frequency receiver, and a laser receiver configured to track locations of the plurality of infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters; and

a remote processor configured to receive signals output by the location and/or orientation-determining component and to send signals to the portable display based the location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component, wherein the signals sent from the remote processor to the portable display comprise images to be displayed on the portable display, wherein the images are views of a 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component rotated, zoomed, and panned by the remote processor based on the location and orientation of the portable display relative to a coordinate origin associated with a known point on the aircraft component.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the coordinate origin is associated with a coordinate origin of the 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component and the remote processor is calibrated to associate a determined location of the known point on the aircraft component with the coordinate origin.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the location and/or orientation-determining component comprises a plurality of location and/or orientation-determining components, wherein the remote processor is configured to determine locations of each of the plurality of the infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters in a three-dimensional plane.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the remote processor is configured to determine the orientation of the portable display using geometric equations based on the locations of each of the plurality of infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters in the three-dimensional plane.

15. A method for sending location and orientation-based image views and information about an aircraft component to a portable display, the method comprising:

receiving signals, with a remote processor, indicative of a location and orientation of the portable display from at least one infrared camera;

determining, with the remote processor, a location and orientation of the portable display relative to a coordinate origin based on the signals received by the remote processor, wherein the remote processor is configured to associate the coordinates origin with a known point on the aircraft component; and

outputting, with the remote processor, images to the portable display, wherein the images are views of a 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component rotated, zoomed, and panned based on the location and orientation of the portable display relative to the coordinate origin.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the signals received from the infrared camera are based on infrared data collected by the infrared camera from infrared markers fixed to the portable display.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising calibrating the coordinate origin to correspond to at least one infrared marker attached to the known point on the aircraft component.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the coordinate origin is the coordinate origin of the 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one infrared camera comprises at least three infrared cameras collecting infrared data from at least three infrared markers fixed to the portable display.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending at least one of additional images, text, and data to the portable display filtered according to at least one of the location of the portable display, the orientation of the portable display, a particular task selected by a user of the portable display or the remote processor, and a security clearance of a user received by at least one of the portable display and the remote processor.