METHOD FOR THE COMMON REPRESENTATION OF SAFETY-CRITICAL AND NON-SAFETY-CRITICAL INFORMATION, AND DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20160267885A1
• Filed: 03/09/2016
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
• Original Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
• Inventors: Meilinger, Juergen, Schneider, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 10,217,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• 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: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/10 Special adaptations of display systems for operation with variable images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

A method for the common representation of safety-critical and non-safety-critical information on a display unit of a vehicle. The method includes receiving non-safety-critical information and producing at least one graphic presentation of the non-safety-critical information. The method also includes receiving safety-critical information and producing at least one graphic presentation of the safety-critical information. In addition, the method includes representing the presentations of safety-critical and non-safety-critical information on the display unit, the representation having at least two representation planes. The non-safety-critical information is represented on a rear, in the direction of view of the observer, plane of the at least two representation planes, and the safety-critical information is represented on a front representation plane. The method includes checking whether the safety-critical information is recognizable when there is an at least partial overlap of the presentation of the non-safety-critical information by the presentation of the safety-critical information.

Claims

1. A method for the common representation of safety-critical and non-safety-critical information on a display unit of a vehicle, comprising:

receiving non-safety-critical information and producing at least one graphic presentation of the non-safety-critical information;

receiving safety-critical information; and

producing at least one graphic presentation of the safety-critical information;

representing the presentations of safety-critical and non-safety-critical information on the display unit, the representation having at least two representation planes;

presenting the non-safety-critical information on a rear, in a direction of view of the observer, plane of the at least two representation planes, and presenting the safety-critical information on a front representation plane; and

checking whether the safety-critical information is recognizable, in a case of an at least partial overlap of the presentation of the non-safety-critical information by the presentation of the safety-critical information.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein if during the checking step a determination is made that the presentation of the non-safety-critical information is overlapped by the presentation of the safety-critical information, adapting at least the overlapping parts of the presentation of the safety-critical information in such a way that the safety-critical information is recognizable.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein at least parts of the presentation of the safety-critical information are so adapted hat the graphic presentation of the overlapping parts, as such, is modified.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the modification of the graphic presentation takes place through at least one of a color modification, a line modification, a size modification, a contrast modification, or a modification of the representation frequency.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the safety-critical information contains vehicle-critical information, and the non-safety-critical information contains at least one of navigation-critical or mission-critical information.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further has the step that the safety-critical information and the non-safety-critical information are received together and are separated into the safety-critical information and the non-safety-critical information in accordance with predetermined criteria.

7. A display device for the common representation of safety-critical and non-safety-critical information on a display unit, comprising:

at least one first receiver set up to receive non-safety-critical information;

at least one first processor set up to produce at least one presentation of the non-safety-critical information;

at least one second receiver, set up to receive safety-critical information;

at least one second processor set up to produce at least one presentation of the safety-critical information;

a representation unit, set up for the common representation of the presentations of safety-critical and non-safety-critical information on the display unit, the representation having at least two representation planes;

the presentation of the non-safety-critical information being represented on a rear, in the direction of view of an observer, plane of the at least two representation planes, and the presentation of the safety-critical information being represented on a front representation plane; and

the second processor being set up to check whether the safety-critical information is recognizable given an at least partial overlap of the presentation of the non-safety-critical information by the presentation of the safety-critical information.

8. The display device as recited in claim 7, wherein the second processor comprises one of a DAL-A or DAL-B safety-certified processor.

9. The display device as recited in claim 7, the second processor being one of a graphics processor or video processor that is set up to adapt, if at least parts of the presentation of the non-safety-critical information are overlapped by the presentation of the safety-critical information, at least the overlapping parts of the presentation of the safety-critical information in such a way that the safety-critical information is recognizable.

10. The display device as recited in claim 9, wherein the second processor is set up to so adapt parts of the presentation of the safety-critical information wherein the graphic presentation of the overlapping parts, as such, is modified.

11. The display device as recited in claim 10, wherein the second processor is set up to adapt the graphic presentation through at least one of a color modification, a line modification, a size modification, a contrast modification, or a modification of the representation frequency.

12. The display device as recited in claim 7, wherein the safety-critical information contains vehicle-critical information, and the non-safety-critical information contains at least one of navigation-critical or mission-critical information.

13. The display device as recited in claim 7, further comprising at least one third processor set up to receive a plurality of different items of information from the vehicle, to categorize the received information into the safety-critical information and the non-safety-critical information in accordance with predetermined criteria, and to forward the received information to the receivers for safety-critical information and non-safety-critical information in accordance with the categorization.

14. A vehicle, having a display device for the common representation of safety-critical and non-safety-critical information on a display unit, comprising:

at least one first receiver set up to receive non-safety-critical information;

at least one first processor set up to produce at least one presentation of the non-safety-critical information;

at least one second receiver, set up to receive safety-critical information;

at least one second processor set up to produce at least one presentation of the safety-critical information;

the second processor comprising one of a DAL-A or DAL-B safety-certified processor;

a representation unit, set up for the common representation of the presentations of safety-critical and non-safety-critical information on the display unit, the representation having at least two representation planes;

the presentation of the non-safety-critical information being represented on a rear, in the direction of view of an observer, plane of the at least two representation planes, and the presentation of the safety-critical information being represented on a front representation plane; and

the second processor being set up to check whether the safety-critical information is recognizable given an at least partial overlap of the presentation of the non-safety-critical information by the presentation of the safety-critical information.

15. The vehicle as recited in claim 14, wherein the vehicle comprises an aircraft, and the display device is situated in a cockpit of the aircraft.