Scene graph based display for desktop applications

• US 7,436,406 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2003
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Dautelle, Jean-Marie R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRIER, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US10/617,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• Field of Search: 345441-443, 345/473, 345/474, 345/619, 342/176
• US Class Current: 345/441
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

A method and apparatus for rapidly displaying air traffic control (ATC) information on an ATC display provides a two-dimensional (2D) scene graph and associated 2D scene graph display commands in conjunction with a thee-dimensional graphic card. In other embodiments, any desktop application software can make use of a 2D scene graph and associated 2D scene graph display commands in order to rapidly render a 2D display.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of providing a graphical display for a desktop application, comprising:

providing an application programming interface associated with a three-dimensional graphics circuit module, the application programming interface to process two-dimensional scene graph commands;

generating at least one two-dimensional scene graph command to create a respective at least one two-dimensional object;

receiving the at least one two-dimensional scene graph command with the application programming interface;

generating two-dimensional scene graph data with the application programming interface in accordance with the receiving the at least one two-dimensional scene graph command, the two-dimensional scene graph data including the at least one two-dimensional object;

storing the two-dimensional scene graph data including the at least one two-dimensional object as part of a scene graph data group in a local memory diposed upon the three-dimensional graphics circuit module, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is coupled to a central processing unit, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module includes a local processor coupled to the local memory;

generating another at least one two-dimensional scene graph command associated with the at least one two-dimensional object;

interpreting the another at least one two-dimensional scene graph command with the application programming interface; and

rendering at least one two-dimensional image on the graphical display with the local processor in accordance with results of the interpreting, wherein the at least one two-dimensional image is derived from the at least one two-dimensional object stored in the local memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the another at least one two-dimensional scene graph command includes:

receiving object data associated with a selected one of the at least one two-dimensional object; and

associating the object data with the selected one of the at least one two-dimensional object to provide the another at least one two-dimensional scene graph command.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the object data is provided by a radar system and is associated with at least one of an aircraft and a geographic feature.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one two-dimensional object represents an aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the two-dimensional scene graph data includes generating the scene graph data including at least one of a first two-dimensional scene graph data portion representing a land geography, and a second two-dimensional scene graph data portion representing one or more aircraft.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering at least one three-dimensional image on the graphical display in accordance with at least one three-dimensional object stored in the local memory.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional scene graph data includes at least one text object, the at least one two-dimensional object includes at least one text character, and the at least one two-dimensional image includes at least one text character image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is a three-dimensional graphics circuit card.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is configured to render all images on the graphical display via the local processor.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having computer readable code thereon for providing a graphical display for a desktop application, the medium comprising:

instructions for providing an application programming interface associated with a three-dimensional graphics circuit module, the application programming interface to process two-dimensional scene graph commands;

instructions for generating at least one two-dimensional scene graph command to create a respective at least one two-dimensional object;

instructions for receiving that at least one two-dimensional scene graph command with the application programming interface;

instructions for generating two-dimensional scene graph data with the application programming interface in accordance with the receiving the at least one two-dimensional scene graph command, the two-dimensional scene graph data including the at least one two-dimensional object;

instructions for storing the two-dimensional scene graph data including the at least one two-dimensional object as part of a scene graph data group in a local memory disposed upon the three-dimensional graphics circuit module, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is coupled to a cenral processing unit, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module includes a local processor coupled to the local memory;

instructions for generating another at least one two-dimensional scene graph command associated with the at least two-dimensional object;

instructions for interpreting the another at least one two-dimensional scene graph command with the application programming interface; and

instructions for rendering at least two-dimensional image on the graphical display with the local processor in accordance with results of the instructions for interpreting, wherein the at least one two-dimensional image is derived from the at least one two-dimensional object stored in the local memory.

11. The computer readable-storage medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions for generating the another at least one two-dimensional scene graph command include:

instructions for receiving object data associated with a selected one of the at least one two-dimensional object; and

instructions for associating the object data with the selected one of the at least one two-dimensional object to provide the another at least one two-dimensional scene graph command.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the object data is provided by a radar system and is associated with at least one of an aircraft and a geographic feature.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one two-dimensional object represents an aircraft.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions for generating the two-dimensional scene graph data include instructions for generating the two-dimensional scene graph data including at least one of a first two-dimensional scene graph data portion representing a land geography, and a second two-dimensional scene graph data portion representing one or more aircraft.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions for rendering at least one three-dimensional image on the graphical display in accordance with at least one three-dimensional object stored in the local memory.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the two-dimensional scene graph data includes at least one text object, the at least one two-dimensional object includes at least one text character, and the at least one two-dimensional image includes at least one text character image.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is a three-dimensional graphics circuit card.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is configured to render all images on the graphical display via the local processor.

19. A radar system for providing a graphical display, comprising:

a radar for providing radar data representative of an aircraft, wherein the radar data includes a range, an elevation, and an azimuth position of the aircraft, and wherein the radar data includes a radar-data identifier that associates the radar data with the aircraft;

a display processor having a scene graph command generator coupled to receive the radar data, the display processor for generating a two-dimensional scene graph command to create two-dimensional scene graph data including a respective two-dimensional object representative of the aircraft, and also for generating another two-dimensional scene graph command to render on the graphical display a two-dimensional image representative of the two-dimensional object, wherein the display processor includes an association processor to;

receive the radar data; and

associate the radar data with the two-dimensional object representative of the aircraft;

an application programming interface, the application programming interface coupled to receive the two-dimensional scene graph command and configured to generate the two-dimensional scene graph data including the two-dimensional scene graph object representative of the aircraft in accordance with the two-dimensional scene graph command; and

a three-dimensional graphics circuit module coupled to the display processor and associated with the application programming interface, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module includes a local memory disposed thereon and a local processor coupled to the local memory, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is configured to store the two-dimensional scene graph data including the two-dimensional object as part of a scene graph data group in the local memory, wherein the application programming interface is further configured to interpret the another two-dimensional scene graph command, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is configured to generate graphical display via the local processor in accordance with results of interpretation of the another two-dimensional scene graph command, resulting in the two-dimensional image on the graphical display, wherein the two-dimensional image is derived from the two-dimensional object stored in the local memory.

20. They system of claim 19, wherein the radar data is also associated with the geographic feature.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the scene graph command generator is also configured to generate a three-dimensional scene graph command to create a respective three-dimensional object.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the two-dimensional scene graph data includes a text object, the two-dimensional object includes a text character, and the two-dimemsional image includes text character image

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is a three-dimensional graphics circuit card.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the three-dimensional graphics circuit module is configured to render all images on the graphical display via the local processor.