Display generation system

• US 6,822,624 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2002
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Avionics Systems Corporation (Elbit Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Universal Avionics Systems Corporation (Elbit Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Jorgensen, John Russell, Glaze, Patrick Kemp, Krohn, Patrick Gerald, Naimer, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US10/238,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20040046712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 345/9, 345/629-634, 340/959, 340/960, 340/961, 340/963, 340/988-990, 701/3, 701/8, 701/9, 701/116, 701/122, 701/205
• US Class Current: 345/9
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/12 Test circuits or failure detection circuits included in a display system, as permanent part thereof
• 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 2380/12 Avionics applications

Abstract

A display generation system that is able to generate display signals for an underlay image with at least one embedded safety pattern and display images for an overlay image. The display generation system and method are able to determine whether there are any anomalies or graphical errors when an overlay display generated by the system or generated by some other system is displayed simultaneously with the underlay image with the embedded safety pattern. The display generation system uses the embedded safety pattern to detect the occurrence of anomalies in the simultaneous display and uses information from its own generated overlay image to detect graphical errors in the simultaneous display. Flight display systems for aircraft can use the display generation system and method of the present invention to display an underlay image depicting geographical scenery in the vicinity of the aircraft while on the ground, during takeoff or in flight. The underlay image is displayed simultaneously with an overlay image depicting standard graphics of a flight display system.

Claims

1. A display generation system comprising:

a display processing engine that generates display signals for at least one underlay image having at least one embedded safety pattern and display signals for at least one overlay image so that image anomalies and/or graphical errors are detected with the use of the embedded safety pattern when the underlay image is displayed simultaneously with the overlay image, wherein the displayed overlay image is generated by either the display generation system or some other system or device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein display signals for the at least one underlay image are generated using information from one or more image databases.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein display signals for the at least one overlay image are generated using information from one or more data sources.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one underlay image comprises information depicting at least one of animate objects, inanimate objects, environments and geographical areas with one or more levels of detail.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one overlay images comprises graphical and/or video images.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the embedded safety pattern comprises a pattern of picture elements and/or display signals that cause a specific pattern made from one or more horizontal lines to be displayed.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein an image anomaly occurs when at least one underlay image and at least one overlay image do not complement each other or interfere with each other.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an image processor that formats and processes the display signals of the at least one underlay and at least one overlay image;

an integrity module that receives the processed display signals from the image processor, and produces an image processing result based on whether the simultaneous of the display of the at least one overlay and the at least one underlay image contains an image anomaly; and

a display monitoring module that receives the processed display signals from the image processor and the image processing result from the integrity module, and that produces an error detection result based on the simultaneous display of the at least one overlay image and the at least one underlay image.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the error detection result reveals whether one or more graphical errors occurred.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the generation of displays signals for the at least one underlay and the at least one overlay image are stopped if an anomaly or a graphical error is detected.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the image database includes an image of a geography of an airport including at least one of a runway at the airport, terrain of the area covered by a flight plan of an aircraft, landmark, tower, location of a hanger, topology of paths connecting a runway, natural obstacles and man-made obstacles.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the display system is used to provide information to operate and/or maneuver aircraft at least one of during take-off, flight and landing.

13. The method of claim 1, where the generated display signals are displayed on a Primary Flight Display (PFD) of an aircraft.

26. The system of claim 1, where the display signals are displayed on a Primary Flight Display (PFD) of an aircraft.

14. A method for generating images, the method comprising the step of:

generating display signals for at least one underlay image with at least one embedded safety pattern so that image anomalies and/or graphical errors are detected with the use of the embedded safety pattern when the underlay image is displayed simultaneously with an overlay image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein display signals for the at least one underlay image are generated using information from one or more image databases.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein display signals for the at least one overlay image are generated using information from one or more data sources.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one underlay image comprises information depicting at least one of animate objects, inanimate objects, environments and geographical areas with one or more levels of detail.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one overlay image comprises graphical and/or video images.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the embedded safety pattern comprises a pattern of picture elements and/or display signals that cause a specific pattern made from one or more horizontal lines to be displayed.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein an image anomaly occurs when at least one underlay image and at least one overlay image do not complement each other or interfere with each other.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

formatting and processing the display signals of the at least one underlay and the at least one overlay image;

receiving the formatted and processed display signals, and producing an image processing result based on whether the simultaneous of the display the at least one overlay and the at least one underlay image contains an image anomaly; and

receiving the formatted and processed display signals and the image processing result, and producing an error detection result based the simultaneous display of the at least one overlay image and the at least one underlay image.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the error detection result reveals whether one or more graphical errors occurred.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein generating displays signals for the at least one underlay and at least one overlay images are stopped if an anomaly or a graphical error is detected.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the image database includes an image of a geography of an airport including at least one of a runway at the airport, terrain of the area covered by the flight plan of aircraft, landmark, tower, location of a hanger, topology of paths connecting a runway, natural obstacles and man-made obstacles.

25. The method of claim 14, generating display signals provides display signals for images with information to operate and/or maneuver aircraft at least one of during take-off, flight and landing.