VISUALIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL ELEMENT OF A COMPLEX SYSTEM

• US 20160055665A1
• Filed: 08/21/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Floyd, Joseph F., Hadley, Brent L., Eames, Patrick J., Macer, Darren B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,489,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2012 Colour editing, changing, or manipulating; Use of colour codes
• 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

An apparatus is provided for implementation of a system for visualization and analysis of a complex system such as an aircraft composed of a plurality of elements. The apparatus may be caused to receive and process data for physical instance(s) of the complex system to identify a topical element. The apparatus may be caused to receive a digital 3D model of the complex system, generate a visual presentation of at least a portion of the digital 3D model, with the visual presentation depicting the topical element and one or more other elements of the plurality of elements. And the apparatus may be caused to apply a visual effect to the topical element depicted by the visual presentation to distinguish the topical element from the other element(s) depicted by the visual presentation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for implementation of a system for visualization and analysis of a topical element of a complex system, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to at least:

receive and process data for one or more physical instances of a complex system composed of a plurality of elements, the data being received and processed to identify a topical element from the plurality of elements;

receive a digital three-dimensional (3D) model of the complex system;

generate a visual presentation of at least a portion of the digital 3D model, the visual presentation depicting the topical element and one or more other elements of the plurality of elements; and

apply a visual effect to the topical element depicted by the visual presentation to distinguish the topical element from the one or more other elements depicted by the visual presentation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the topical element is an element of the plurality of elements having or having had an anomalous condition, as indicated by the data for the one or more physical instances of the complex system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus being caused to receive and process the data includes being caused to receive and process performance-based metrics for elements of the plurality of elements from a computer-based system configured to collect reliability and maintainability data, the topical element being identified from a value of a performance-based metric for the topical element.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus being caused to receive and process data includes being caused to receive and process user-generated content from a computer-based system configured to collect social media data, the topical element being identified from a number of distinct items of user-generated content that references the topical element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus being caused to process the data includes being caused to calculate a level-of-interest value for the topical element, the visual effect applied to the topical element having a property that varies with the level of interest value in a predefined range of values.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus being caused to apply the visual effect includes being caused to apply color to the topical element, a property of the color varying with the calculated level of interest value.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores further executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to further:

receive user-selection of a particular point on the visual presentation;

translate the particular point to a particular location within a coordinate system of the complex system;

identify a first document component that depicts 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, the first document component having and being identified from associated metadata that provides structured information reflecting a 3D geometry of the element within the coordinate system of the complex system; and

generate a layout of panoptically-arranged images of document components including the first document component, and including one or more second document components identified from the associated metadata that provides structured information further identifying a link between the first document component and one or more second document components.

8. A method comprising:

receiving and processing data for one or more physical instances of a complex system composed of a plurality of elements, the data being received and processed to identify a topical element from the plurality of elements;

receiving a digital three-dimensional (3D) model of the complex system;

generating a visual presentation of at least a portion of the digital 3D model, the visual presentation depicting the topical element and one or more other elements of the plurality of elements; and

applying a visual effect to the topical element depicted by the visual presentation to distinguish the topical element from the one or more other elements depicted by the visual presentation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the topical element is an element of the plurality of elements having or having had an anomalous condition, as indicated by the data for the one or more physical instances of the complex system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving and processing the data includes receiving and processing performance-based metrics for elements of the plurality of elements from a computer-based system configured to collect reliability and maintainability data, the topical element being identified from a value of a performance-based metric for the topical element.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving and processing data includes receiving and processing user-generated content from a computer-based system configured to collect social media data, the topical element being identified from a number of distinct items of user-generated content that references the topical element.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein processing the data includes calculating a level-of-interest value for the topical element, the visual effect applied to the topical element having a property that varies with the level of interest value in a predefined range of values.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein applying the visual effect includes applying color to the topical element, a property of the color varying with the calculated level of interest value.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving user-selection of a particular point on the visual presentation;

translating the particular point to a particular location within a coordinate system of the complex system;

identifying a first document component that depicts 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, the first document component having and being identified from associated metadata that provides structured information reflecting a 3D geometry of the element within the coordinate system of the complex system; and

generating a layout of panoptically-arranged images of document components including the first document component, and including one or more second document components identified from the associated metadata that provides structured information further identifying a link between the first document component and one or more second document components.

15. A computer-readable storage medium that is non-transitory and has computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by a processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

receive and process data for one or more physical instances of a complex system composed of a plurality of elements, the data being received and processed to identify a topical element from the plurality of elements;

receive a digital three-dimensional (3D) model of the complex system;

generate a visual presentation of at least a portion of the digital 3D model, the visual presentation depicting the topical element and one or more other elements of the plurality of elements; and

apply a visual effect to the topical element depicted by the visual presentation to distinguish the topical element from the one or more other elements depicted by the visual presentation.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the topical element is an element of the plurality of elements having or having had an anomalous condition, as indicated by the data for the one or more physical instances of the complex system.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the apparatus being caused to receive and process the data includes being caused to receive and process performance-based metrics for elements of the plurality of elements from a computer-based system configured to collect reliability and maintainability data, the topical element being identified from a value of a performance-based metric for the topical element.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the apparatus being caused to receive and process data includes being caused to receive and process user-generated content from a computer-based system configured to collect social media data, the topical element being identified from a number of distinct items of user-generated content that references the topical element.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the apparatus being caused to process the data includes being caused to calculate a level-of-interest value for the topical element, the visual effect applied to the topical element having a property that varies with the level of interest value in a predefined range of values.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the apparatus being caused to apply the visual effect includes being caused to apply color to the topical element, a property of the color varying with the calculated level of interest value.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 having further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the apparatus to further:

receive user-selection of a particular point on the visual presentation;

translate the particular point to a particular location within a coordinate system of the complex system;

identify a first document component that depicts 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, the first document component having and being identified from associated metadata that provides structured information reflecting a 3D geometry of the element within the coordinate system of the complex system; and

generate a layout of panoptically-arranged images of document components including the first document component, and including one or more second document components identified from the associated metadata that provides structured information further identifying a link between the first document component and one or more second document components.