System and method for rendering a sky veil on a vehicle display

• US 8,767,013 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Wright, David A., Harvey, Jason F., Engels, Jary, Jain, Vivek
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao
• Assistant Examiner(s): RABURN, GREG A
• Application Number:
  US13/313,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20130147823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/503 Blending, e.g. for anti-aliasing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/62 Semi-transparency
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/004 Annotating, labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2012 Colour editing, changing, or manipulating; Use of colour codes

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for improving pilot situational awareness during brown-over-brown display situations. An image is rendered, on a display, that includes one of, or both, rendered terrain and rendered sky. A sky veil is at least selectively rendered on a portion of the display. The sky veil, when rendered, is rendered at least partially transparent and in a manner that portions of the sky veil that overlap with rendered sky are not discernable, and rendered terrain is viewable through portions of the sky veil that overlap with terrain.

Claims

1. A method for rendering images on a display that is disposed within a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

rendering an image, on the display, that includes one of, or both, rendered terrain and rendered sky, the display having a plurality of edges, the plurality of edges including a skyward edge;

rendering a pitch tape on the display;

rendering a zero pitch reference line on the display; and

at least selectively or continuously rendering a sky veil on a portion of the display, the sky veil rendered at least partially transparent and in a manner that;

(i) portions of the sky veil that overlap with the rendered sky are not discernable,

(ii) the rendered terrain is viewable through portions of the sky veil that overlap with terrain,

(iii) the sky veil is perpendicular to the pitch tape and parallel to the zero pitch reference line, and

(iv) the sky veil extends a predetermined distance from the skyward edge, as measured along a line that is at least parallel to the pitch tape.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering the sky veil and sky with the same color.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at least selectively or continuously rendering the sky veil with a border that is opaque and in a manner that (i) portions of the border that overlap with the rendered sky are not discernable and (ii) the rendered terrain is not viewable through the border.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

rendering the sky veil, the border, and the sky with the same color.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at least selectively or continuously rendering the sky veil between the zero pitch reference line and one or more of the edges.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the pitch tape is aligned with a corner of the display, at least selectively or continuously rendering the sky veil a predetermined distance from a predetermined point, and along a tangent of a curve having a radius, instead of the predetermined distance from the skyward edge.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at least selectively or continuously rendering the sky veil with a varying level of transparency.

8. A vehicle display system, comprising:

a terrain data source for supplying terrain data representative of terrain in a field of view of an operator of a vehicle;

a display device coupled to receive image rendering display commands and configured, upon receipt thereof, to display images, the display device including a display having a plurality of edges, the plurality of edges including a skyward edge; and

a processor coupled to the display device and the terrain database, the processor configured to selectively retrieve the terrain data from the terrain data source and supply the image rendering display commands to the display device that cause the display device to;

(i) render an image that includes one of, or both, rendered terrain and rendered sky, and

(ii) at least selectively or continuously render a sky veil on a portion of the display, the sky veil rendered at least partially transparent and in a manner that;

(a) portions of the sky veil that overlap with the rendered sky are not discernable,

(b) the rendered terrain is viewable through portions of the sky veil that overlap with terrain

(c) the sky veil is perpendicular to the pitch tape and parallel to the zero pitch reference line, and

(d) the sky veil extends a predetermined distance from the skyward edge, as measured along a line that is at least parallel to the pitch tape.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the image rendering display commands further cause the display device to at least selectively or continuously render the sky veil and sky with the same color.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the image rendering display commands further cause the display device to at least selectively render the sky veil with a border that is opaque and in a manner that (i) portions of the border that overlap with the rendered sky are not discernable and (ii) the rendered terrain is not viewable through the border.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the image rendering display commands further cause the display device to render the sky veil, the border, and the sky with the same color.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the image rendering display commands further cause the display device to at least selectively or continuously render the sky veil between the zero pitch reference line and one or more of the edges.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein, when the pitch tape is aligned with a corner of the display, the image rendering display commands further cause the display device to at least selectively or continuously render the sky veil a predetermined distance from a predetermined point, and along a tangent of a curve having a radius, instead of the predetermined distance from the skyward edge.

14. The system of claim 8, the image rendering display commands further cause the display device to at least selectively or continuously render the sky veil with a varying level of transparency.