System and methods for displaying a partial images and non-overlapping, shared-screen partial images acquired from vision systems

• US 7,605,719 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Rademaker, Richard M, Etherington, Timothy, Wenger, Jason, Postnikov, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US11/881,113
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 340973-980, 701 3- 14, 345/8, 345/9, 345/427, 382/154, 382/619
• US Class Current: 340/974
• 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: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays

Abstract

A novel and non-trivial system and methods for displaying partial images and non-overlapping images acquired by vision systems representing scene is disclosed. A system is disclosed for displaying partial images and shared, non-overlapping images on a display comprises a forward-looking imaging device system, an image system, a terrain rendering processor, and an indicating system. The terrain rendering processor determines, based on visibility data, which part of an image of one system will be displayed. A method is disclosed for displaying a partial image on a display unit. A terrain rendering processor determines acceptable and unacceptable visibility data based on contrast data of first image data, and based on such determination, presents image data corresponding to unacceptable data to the indicating system for presentation on a display unit. A second method is disclosed for displaying two images on a display unit of an aircraft. A terrain rendering processor determines acceptable and unacceptable visibility data based on contrast data of first image data, and based on such determination, presents image data corresponding to both acceptable and unacceptable data to the indicating system for presentation on a display unit.

Claims

1. A system for controlling an image displayed on a display unit of an aircraft, said system comprising:

a forward-looking imaging device system for acquiring first image data;

an image system for acquiring second image data;

a terrain rendering processor;

wherein such processor

receives the first image data and the second image data,

determines acceptable and unacceptable visibility data of the first image data,

identifies third image data from the second image data corresponding to the unacceptable visibility data of the first image data, and

provides an indicating system with data representative of the third image data; and

the indicating system for displaying an image on a screen of a display unit representative of the third image data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first image data and the second image data are representative of the scene in front of an aircraft.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the forward-looking imaging device system for acquiring first image data comprises a visible spectrum camera system and the image system for acquiring second image data comprises synthetic vision system.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the indicating system comprises a head-up display system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the forward-looking imaging device system for acquiring first image data comprises a visible spectrum camera system and the image system for acquiring second image data comprises enhanced vision system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the indicating system comprises a head-up display system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further provides the indicating system data representative of acceptable visibility data of the first image data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the forward-looking imaging device system for acquiring first image data comprises an enhanced vision system and the image system for acquiring second image data comprises a synthetic vision system.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the indicating system comprises a tactical display unit system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor may comprise of a plurality of processors.

11. A method for displaying a partial image on a display unit of an aircraft, said method comprising:

acquiring first image data from a forward-looking imaging device system;

acquiring second image data from an image system;

providing the first image data and the second image data to a terrain rendering processor;

determining acceptable and unacceptable visibility data of the first image data;

identifying third image data from the second image data based upon the unacceptable visibility data of the first image data;

providing an indicating system with data representative of the third image data; and

displaying an image representative of the third image data on a display unit of the indicating system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first image data and the second image data are representative of the scene in front of an aircraft.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first image data is acquired by a visible spectrum camera system and the second image data is acquired by a synthetic vision system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the indicating system comprises a head-up display system.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first image data is acquired by a visible spectrum camera system and the second image data is acquired by an enhanced vision system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indicating system comprises a head-up display system.

17. A method for displaying a plurality of partial images on a display unit of an aircraft, said method comprising:

acquiring first image data from a forward-looking imaging device system;

acquiring second image data from an image system;

providing the first image data and the second image data to a terrain rendering processor;

determining acceptable and unacceptable visibility data of the first image data;

identifying third image data from the second image data based upon the unacceptable visibility data of the first image data;

providing an indicating system with data representative of the third image data and the acceptable visibility data of the first image data; and

displaying simultaneously a first image representative of acceptable visibility data of the first image data and a second image of the third image data on the same display unit of the indicating system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first image data and the second image data are representative of the scene in front of an aircraft.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first image data is acquired by an enhanced vision system and the second image data is acquired by a synthetic vision system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the indicating system comprises a tactical display unit system.