Methods and systems for displaying an object having an associated beacon signal

• US 8,350,753 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Pal, Subhadeep, Rathour, Sharad
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US12/371,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20100207845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 342/182
• US Class Current: 342/182
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/047 Displays or indicators G01S1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/466 by Trilateration, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the distance to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, i.e. the distance between the antennas or sensors, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/468 by Triangulation, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the bearing, direction or angle to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for displaying information on a display device associated with an aircraft. A method comprises rendering a synthetic perspective view of terrain on the display device, wherein the synthetic perspective view of terrain is based on a set of terrain data corresponding to a region proximate the aircraft. The method further comprises obtaining location data for a first object, wherein the location data is based at least in part on a beacon signal associated with the first object, and rendering a graphical representation of the first object on the display device. The graphical representation of the first object overlies the synthetic perspective view of terrain and is positioned in accordance with the location data.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information on a display device associated with an aircraft, the method comprising:

rendering a primary flight display on the display device, wherein the primary flight display comprises a synthetic perspective view of terrain for a region proximate a current location of the aircraft, and wherein the synthetic perspective view of terrain corresponds to a flight deck viewpoint;

receiving a locating signal for a target object, the locating signal being based at least in part on a beacon signal emitted by a distress radio beacon associated with the target object, the locating signal comprising identification information for the target object;

determining an object type for the target object based on the identification information; and

in response to the locating signal, rendering, in a portion of the primary flight display, a first symbology with a shape representative of the object type for the target object, wherein the first symbology is rendered in a manner that is influenced by the locating signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining location data for the target object based on the locating signal, wherein the first symbology is positioned in accordance with the location data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

calculating navigational parameters for the target object based on the location data and the current location of the aircraft; and

displaying the navigational parameters in the primary flight display.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a rescue criterion in the primary flight display proximate the first symbology.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a sea level depth associated with a location of the target object, wherein rendering the first symbology comprises rendering the first symbology using a visually distinguishable characteristic based on the sea level depth.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a rescue criterion for the target object based on the identification information, wherein rendering the first symbology comprises rendering the first symbology using a visually distinguishable characteristic based on the rescue criterion.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the rescue criterion comprises a number of persons associated with the target object, a type of cargo associated with the target object, an amount of cargo associated with the target object, an altitude at a location of the target object, or a sea level depth at a location of the target object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the distress radio beacon comprises a personal locator beacon, an emergency locator transmitter, or an emergency position-indicating radio beacon.

9. A display system for an aircraft, the display system comprising:

a display device;

a communications system;

a flight management system coupled to the communications system, the flight management system and the communications system being cooperatively configured to;

obtain a locating signal for a target object, the locating signal being based at least in part on a beacon signal emitted by a distress radio beacon associated with the target object, the locating signal including identification information related to the target object based on a beacon identifier obtained from the beacon signal; and

determine an object type for the target object based on the identification information; and

a graphics system coupled to the flight management system and the display device, wherein the graphics system and the flight management system are cooperatively configured to;

render a primary flight display on the display device, wherein the primary flight display comprises a synthetic perspective view of terrain for a region proximate a current location of the aircraft, and wherein the synthetic perspective view of terrain corresponds to a flight deck viewpoint;

obtain location data for the target object based on the locating signal; and

render, in a portion of the primary flight display, a first symbology with a shape representative of the object type, wherein the first symbology is positioned in accordance with the location data.

10. The display system of claim 9, wherein the first symbology is rendered in a conformal manner relative to the synthetic perspective view of terrain.

11. The display system of claim 9, wherein the flight management system is configured to determine a rescue criterion for the target object, wherein the first symbology is rendered using a visually distinguishable characteristic based on the rescue criterion.

12. The display system of claim 9, further comprising a database maintaining an association between the beacon identifier and the object type.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the distress radio beacon comprises a personal locator beacon, an emergency locator transmitter, or an emergency position-indicating radio beacon.

14. A method for displaying information on a display device associated with an aircraft, the method comprising:

rendering a synthetic perspective view of terrain on the display device, the synthetic perspective view of terrain being based on a set of terrain data corresponding to a region proximate the aircraft;

obtaining location data for an object, the location data being based at least in part on a beacon signal emitted by a distress radio beacon associated with the object;

determining an object type for the object based on a beacon identifier obtained from the beacon signal; and

rendering a graphical representation of the object on the display device using a symbology with a shape representative of the object type, wherein the symbology overlies the synthetic perspective view of terrain and is positioned in accordance with the location data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the synthetic perspective view of terrain comprises a three-dimensional conformal view of terrain based on the set of terrain data; and

rendering the graphical representation of the object comprises rendering the symbology in a conformal manner with respect to the synthetic perspective view of terrain.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining navigational parameters for navigating to the object based on the location data and a current location of the aircraft; and

displaying the navigational parameters on the display device overlying the synthetic perspective view of terrain proximate the symbology.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying a rescue criterion for the object, wherein rendering the graphical representation of the object further comprises rendering the symbology using a visually distinguishable characteristic based on the rescue criterion.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the rescue criterion comprises determining a sea level depth based on the location data, wherein the first visually distinguishable characteristic is based on the sea level depth.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the object type comprises identifying the object type based on an association between the beacon identifier and the object type maintained in a database.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

rendering a lateral map display on the display device concurrently to rendering the synthetic perspective view of terrain, the lateral map display corresponding to a second region proximate the aircraft and including an aircraft symbol; and

rendering a second graphical representation of the object on the lateral map display using a second symbology representative of the object type, wherein the second symbology is positioned relative to the aircraft symbol in accordance with the location data.

21. A method for displaying information on a display device associated with an aircraft, the method comprising:

rendering a primary flight display on the display device, wherein the primary flight display comprises a synthetic perspective view of terrain for a region proximate a current location of the aircraft, and wherein the synthetic perspective view of terrain corresponds to a flight deck viewpoint;

receiving a locating signal for a target object, the locating signal being based at least in part on a beacon signal emitted by a ground based beacon associated with the target object, the locating signal comprising identification information for the target object;

determining an object type for the target object based on the identification information; and

in response to the locating signal, rendering, in a portion of the primary flight display, a first symbology with a shape representative of the object type for the target object, wherein the first symbology is rendered in a manner that is influenced by the locating signal.