SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AN ANIMATED DISPLAY

• US 20200134900A1
• Filed: 07/29/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Malviya, Pramod Kumar, Feyereisen, Thea, He, Gang, Wang, Rui
• Granted Patent: US 10,997,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 Flight plan management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/026 Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for generating an animated display for an aircraft. The method comprises receiving a user request for a change in a layer shown on a display that shows a view of the flight plan data for the aircraft. The user request is received by a user interface (UI) that is part of a map layer display system located onboard the aircraft. The system determines which specific layer corresponds to user request for a change to the display. When the user request is to add the layer to the display, the opaqueness of the layer increases from zero percent to one-hundred percent. When the user request is to remove the layer from the display, the opaqueness of the layer decreases from one-hundred percent to zero percent. Finally, the system generates instructions to display the layer at the opaqueness on the display.

Claims

1. A system for generating an animated display for an aircraft, comprising:

a flight management system (FMS) configured to control one or more control systems of the aircraft based upon flight plan data for the aircraft; and

a map layer display system that is controlled by the FMS, comprising;

a plurality of displays, where each of the plurality of displays shows a different view of the flight plan data;

a user interface (UI) system configured to receive user input; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the plurality of displays and the UI, the processor configured to;

determine when the user input received by the UI corresponds to a layer on one of the plurality of displays;

increase opaqueness of the layer from zero percent to one-hundred percent when the user input includes a request to add the layer to one of the plurality of displays;

decrease opaqueness of the layer from one-hundred percent to zero-percent when the user input includes a request to remove the layer from one of the plurality of displays; and

generate instructions to display the layer at the opaqueness of the layer.

2. The system of claim 1, where a rate of change in the opaqueness of the layer is constant.

3. The system of claim 1, where a rate of change in the opaqueness of the layer is determined by events during operation of the aircraft.

4. The system of claim 1, where one of the plurality of displays is a lateral situation display.

5. The system of claim 1, where one of the plurality of displays is a vertical situation display.

6. The system of claim 1, where one of the plurality of displays is a synthetic situation display.

7. The system of claim 1, where the layer shows terrain data.

8. The system of claim 1, where the layer shows air traffic data.

9. The system of claim 1, where the layer shows flight plan data.

10. The system of claim 1, where the layer shows airspace data.

11. The system of claim 1, where the layer shows boundary data.

12. The system of claim 1, where the layer shows navigational fix data.

13. The system of claim 12, where the navigational fix data is an airport location.

14. The system of claim 12, where the navigational fix data is non-directional beacon (NDB) data.

15. The system of claim 12, where the navigational fix data is VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) data.

16. The system of claim 1, where the opaqueness of the layer is increased frame by frame when the layer is being added to one of the plurality of displays.

17. The system of claim 1, where the opaqueness of the layer is decreased frame by frame when the layer is being removed from one of the plurality of displays.

18. A method for generating an animated display, comprising:

receiving a user request for a change in a layer shown on a display that shows a view of data, where the user request is received by a user interface (UI) that is part of a map layer display system;

determining which specific layer corresponds to the user request for a change to the display;

increasing opaqueness of the layer from zero percent to one-hundred percent when the user request is to add the layer to the display;

decreasing opaqueness of the layer from one-hundred percent to zero percent when the user request is to remove the layer from the display; and

generating instructions to display the layer at the set opaqueness on the display.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of increasing the opaqueness of the layer comprises increasing the opaqueness frame by frame when the layer is being added to one of the plurality of displays.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of decreasing the opaqueness of the layer comprises decreasing the opaqueness frame by frame when the layer is being removed from one of the plurality of displays.