Panoptic Visualization Of Elements Of A Complex System Using A Model Viewer

• US 20140215317A1
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Floyd, Joseph F., Miller, Stephen P., Hadley, Brent L., Eames, Patrick J., Hadley, Kyle M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,858,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking

Abstract

A system is provided that includes a model viewer configured to receive selection of a point on a visual presentation of a digital 3D model of a complex system, and translate the point to a location within a coordinate system of the complex system. A search engine configured to identify a document component that depicts an element of the complex system at or within a volume about the location. The document component is from a collection for which at least some components depict elements of the complex system and have associated metadata that includes information reflecting the 3D geometry of at least some depicted elements. A layout engine configured to generate a layout of panoptically-arranged document components including the identified document component and other document component(s) identified according to the associated metadata for the identified document component, which further includes information identifying a link between the respective document components.

Claims

1. A system for panoptic visualization of one or more elements of a complex system, the system comprising:

a model viewer configured to receive user-selection of a particular point on a visual presentation of a digital three-dimensional (3D) model of a complex system, and translate the particular point to a particular location within a coordinate system of the complex system;

a search engine coupled to the model viewer and configured to identify a document component of a panoptic visualization document collection having a plurality of document components at least some of which depict elements of the complex system and have associated metadata that, for each of at least some of the depicted elements, includes information reflecting a 3D geometry of the respective element within a coordinate system of the complex system, the identified document component depicting an element of the complex system at the particular location or within a volume about or at least in part defined by the particular location;

a layout engine coupled to the search engine and configured to generate a layout of panoptically-arranged document components including the identified document component and one or more other document components identified according to the associated metadata for the identified document component, the respective metadata further including information identifying a link between the identified document component and respective one or more other document components,

wherein the layout engine is configured to communicate the layout.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the link establishes a logical relationship between the identified document component and respective one or more other document components according to a spatial, design or functional relationship between one or more elements of the complex system including the element depicted by the identified document component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the associated metadata for the identified document component, and associated metadata for each of the respective one or more other document components, includes information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the respective document component in the layout, and

wherein for each of the document components of the layout, the layout engine is configured to generate the layout according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the information provided in respective, associated metadata.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the document components of the layout include two-dimensional (2D) images depicting one or more elements of the complex system, and are produced from the 3D model.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein one or more document components of the layout depict one or more elements of the complex system, and are not produced from the 3D model.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the document components of the layout depicts an element of the complex system and has associated metadata that includes information reflecting the 3D geometry of the respective depicted element within the coordinate system of the complex system, and

wherein at least one other of the document components of the layout depicts an element of the complex system and has associated metadata absent information reflecting the 3D geometry of the respective depicted element within the coordinate system of the complex system.

7. A method comprising:

receiving user-selection of a particular point on a visual presentation of a digital three-dimensional (3D) model of a complex system, and translating the particular point to a particular location within a coordinate system of the complex system;

identifying a document component of a panoptic visualization document collection having a plurality of document components at least some of which depict elements of the complex system and have associated metadata that, for each of at least some of the depicted elements, includes information reflecting a 3D geometry of the respective element within a coordinate system of the complex system, the identified document component depicting an element of the complex system at the particular location or within a volume about or at least in part defined by the particular location;

generating a layout of panoptically-arranged document components including the identified document component and one or more other document components identified according to the associated metadata for the identified document component, the respective metadata further including information identifying a link between the identified document component and respective one or more other document components; and

communicating the layout.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the link establishes a logical relationship between the identified document component and respective one or more other document components according to a spatial, design or functional relationship between one or more elements of the complex system including the element depicted by the identified document component.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the associated metadata for the identified document component, and associated metadata for each of the respective one or more other document components, includes information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the respective document component in the layout, and

wherein for each of the document components of the layout, the generating a layout includes generating a layout according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the information provided in respective, associated metadata.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein at least some of the document components of the layout include two-dimensional (2D) images depicting one or more elements of the complex system, and are produced from the 3D model.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein one or more document components of the layout depict one or more elements of the complex system, and are not produced from the 3D model.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the document components of the layout depicts an element of the complex system and has associated metadata that includes information reflecting the 3D geometry of the respective depicted element within the coordinate system of the complex system, and

wherein at least one other of the document components of the layout depicts an element of the complex system and has associated metadata absent information reflecting the 3D geometry of the respective depicted element within the coordinate system of the complex system.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by a processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

receive user-selection of a particular point on a visual presentation of a digital three-dimensional (3D) model of a complex system, and translate the particular point to a particular location within a coordinate system of the complex system;

identify a document component of a panoptic visualization document collection having a plurality of document components at least some of which depict elements of the complex system and have associated metadata that, for each of at least some of the depicted elements, includes information reflecting a 3D geometry of the respective element within a coordinate system of the complex system, the identified document component depicting an element of the complex system at the particular location or within a volume about or at least in part defined by the particular location;

generate a layout of panoptically-arranged document components including the identified document component and one or more other document components identified according to the associated metadata for the identified document component, the respective metadata further including information identifying a link between the identified document component and respective one or more other document components; and

communicate the layout.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the link establishes a logical relationship between the identified document component and respective one or more other document components according to a spatial, design or functional relationship between one or more elements of the complex system including the element depicted by the identified document component.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the associated metadata for the identified document component, and associated metadata for each of the respective one or more other document components, includes information specifying one or more of a size, location or depth of the respective document component in the layout, and

wherein for each of the document components of the layout, the apparatus is caused to generate the layout according to the one or more of the size, location or depth specified by the information provided in respective, associated metadata.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein at least some of the document components of the layout include two-dimensional (2D) images depicting one or more elements of the complex system, and are produced from the 3D model.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein one or more document components of the layout depict one or more elements of the complex system, and are not produced from the 3D model.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the document components of the layout depicts an element of the complex system and has associated metadata that includes information reflecting the 3D geometry of the respective depicted element within the coordinate system of the complex system, and

wherein at least one other of the document components of the layout depicts an element of the complex system and has associated metadata absent information reflecting the 3D geometry of the respective depicted element within the coordinate system of the complex system.