Managing navigational chart presentation

• US 8,515,658 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Foster, Susan A., Kuhn, Paul Richard, Ouellet, Roxane, Salomon, Gitta B., Ward, Jason K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M.
• Application Number:
  US12/498,112
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-226, 340988-996, 715700-866, 345156-173
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32

Abstract

In one advantageous embodiment, a method for managing presentation of a navigational chart on a touchscreen display device is presented. A user input is received on a surface of the touchscreen display device on which the navigational chart is presented. A number of portions of the navigational chart corresponding to the surface on which the user input was received are identified, using a processor unit connected to the touchscreen display device. A number of graphical indications are presented on the navigational chart in association with each of the number of portions identified by the processor unit.

Claims

1. A method for managing presentation of a navigational chart on a touchscreen display device, the method comprising:

receiving an input of an unrestricted shape at any location on a surface of the touchscreen display device while the navigational chart is presented;

identifying, using a processor unit connected to the touchscreen display device, a number of portions of the navigational chart corresponding to the surface on which the input was received, wherein identifying comprises;

determining a touchscreen display device coordinate of the input, and combining the touchscreen display device coordinate of the input with coordinates on the navigational chart presented, at the location corresponding to the input received, and further wherein the number of portions comprise input that does not create a route; and

presenting a number of graphical indications on the navigational chart in association with each of the number of portions identified by the processor unit, wherein the graphical indications comprise a translucent overlay over the navigational chart, further wherein the overlay comprises a graphical indication for every location receiving the input.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a number of coordinates on the navigational chart representing the number of portions and based on the input; and

storing the number of coordinates in an association with other data, wherein the other data comprises;

the navigational chart and a user identification.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the number of coordinates is a first number of coordinates, wherein the number of graphical indications is a first number of graphical indications, and wherein the navigational chart is a first navigational chart, and further comprising:

clearing the first number of graphical indications and the first navigational chart from the touchscreen display device; and

presenting a second navigational chart and a second number of graphical indications on the second navigational chart, wherein the second number of graphical indications is associated with the second navigational chart.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of storing the number of coordinates in association with the navigational chart comprises storing, in a memory, the number of coordinates in association with the navigational chart and the input, wherein the processing unit is a first processing unit, wherein the touchscreen display device is a first touchscreen display device, wherein the number of graphical indications is a first number of graphical indications, and further comprising:

receiving a load request, at a second touchscreen display device connected to a second processing unit, for the navigational chart;

presenting, using the second touchscreen display device, a second number of graphical indications representing the number of coordinates stored in the memory that are associated with a user and the navigational chart.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor unit is a first processor unit and further comprising:

sending the number of portions to a second processor unit; and

presenting the number of graphical indications the navigational chart on a second display device connected to the second processor unit using the number of portions.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the processor unit is a first processor unit and further comprising:

sending the number of coordinates and the navigational chart to a second processor unit; and

presenting the number of graphical indications on a second display device connected to the second processor unit using the number of coordinates.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the input being a first input, wherein the surface is a first surface, wherein the touchscreen display device is a first touchscreen display device, wherein the display device is a second touchscreen display device, wherein sending the number of portions further comprises sending a navigational chart identifier to the second processing unit, wherein the number of portions is a first number of portions, and further comprising:

receiving a second input on a second surface of the second touchscreen display device;

identifying a second number of portions of the navigational chart corresponding to the second surface on which the second input was received, using the second processor unit;

presenting a number of additional graphical indications on the navigational chart in association with each of the second number of portions identified by the second processor unit, wherein the number of additional graphical indications are visually differentiable from the number of graphical indications on the second touchscreen display device;

sending the second number of portions and the navigational chart identifier to the first processing unit; and

presenting the additional graphical indications on the navigational chart using the first touchscreen display device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor unit and the touchscreen display device is part of an electronic flight bag.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor unit and the touchscreen display device are associated with a platform selected from one of a mobile platform, a stationary platform, a land-based structure, an aquatic-based structure, a space-based structure, a vehicle, an aircraft, spacecraft, a surface ship, a train, a bus, a submarine, a flight control tower, and a dispatch center.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational chart is selected from one of an airport moving map, a sectional aeronautical chart, a terminal area chart, a helicopter chart, and an aeronautical enroute chart.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor unit and the touchscreen display device are associated with a vehicle, and further comprising:

determining whether the vehicle has changed a heading or a location since a last position check; and

responsive to a determination that the vehicle has changed the heading or the location since the last position check, updating a position of the graphical indication and the navigational chart or an orientation of the graphical indication and the navigational chart on the touchscreen display device.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising the graphical indication being a first graphical indication, wherein the navigational chart is a first navigational chart, wherein the input is a first input, wherein the number of coordinates comprises a number of latitude/longitude coordinates, and further comprising:

receiving a second input, using the touchscreen display device, designating a second navigational chart that depicts an overlapping area with the first navigational chart; and

responsive to receiving the second input, presenting the second navigational chart and a second graphical indication on the second navigational chart at each of the number of latitude/longitude coordinates.

20. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request to present a stored navigational chart with graphical indications on the navigational chart in association with each of the number of portions identified by the processor unit and associated with the user identification; and

presenting, the stored navigational chart with graphical indications on the navigational chart in association with each of the number of portions identified by the processor unit and associated with the user identification.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable non-transitory storage medium including computer usable program code for managing presentation of a navigational chart on a touchscreen display device, the computer program product including instructions adapted to cause a computer to perform steps comprising;

receiving an input of an unrestricted shape at any location on a surface of the touchscreen display device while the navigational chart is presented;

identifying, using a processor unit connected to the touchscreen display device, a number of portions of the navigational chart corresponding to the surface on which the input was received, wherein identifying comprises;

determining a touchscreen display device coordinate of the input, and combining the touchscreen display device coordinate of the input with coordinates on the navigational chart presented, at the location corresponding to the input received, and further wherein the number of portions comprise;

input that does not create a route; and

presenting a number of graphical indications on the navigational chart in association with each of the number of portions identified by the processor unit, wherein the graphical indications comprise an overlay over the navigational chart, further wherein the overlay comprises;

a graphical indication for every location receiving the input.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program code is further adapted to cause the computer to perform steps comprising:

identifying a number of coordinates on the navigational chart representing the number of portions and based on the input; and

storing the number of coordinates in an association with other data, wherein the other data comprises;

the navigational chart, and a user identification.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the number of coordinates is a first number of coordinates, wherein the number of graphical indications is a first number of graphical indications, and wherein the navigational chart is a first navigational chart, and the program code is further adapted to cause the computer to perform steps comprising:

clearing the first number of graphical indications and the first navigational chart from the touchscreen display device; and

presenting a second navigational chart and a second number of graphical indications on the second navigational chart, wherein the second number of graphical indications is associated with the second navigational chart.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the step of storing the number of coordinates in association with the navigational chart comprises storing, in a memory, the number of coordinates in association with the navigational chart and the input, wherein the processing unit is a first processing unit, wherein the touchscreen display device is a first touchscreen display device, wherein the number of graphical indications is a first number of graphical indications, and further comprising:

receiving a load request, at a second touchscreen display device connected to a second processing unit, for the navigational chart;

presenting, using the second touchscreen display device, a second number of graphical indications representing the number of coordinates stored in the memory that are associated with a user and the navigational chart.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a touchscreen display device; and

a processor unit in communication with the touchscreen display device, wherein the processor unit is configured to;

receive an input of an unrestricted shape at any location on a surface of the touchscreen display device on which a navigational chart is presented;

identify, using a processor unit connected to the touchscreen display device, a number of portions of the navigational chart corresponding to the surface on which the input was received, wherein identifying comprises;

determining a touchscreen display device coordinate of the input, and combining the touchscreen display device coordinate of the input with coordinates on the navigational chart presented, at the location corresponding to the input received, and further wherein the number of portions comprise;

input that does not create a route; and

present a number of graphical indications on the navigational chart in association with each of the number of portions identified by the processor unit, wherein the graphical indications comprise an overlay over the navigational chart, further wherein the overlay comprises;

a graphical indication for every location receiving the input.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing unit is further directed to identify a number of coordinates on the navigational chart representing the number of portions and based on the input, and store the number of coordinates in association with other data, wherein the other data comprises:

the navigational chart and a user identification.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor unit is a first processor unit and further comprising:

a second display device; and

a second processor unit in communication with the second display device and the first processor unit, wherein the second processor unit is configured to receive the number of coordinates from the first processor unit and present the graphical indication on the navigational chart on the second display device using the number of coordinates.