Apparatus and methods for lighting synthetic terrain images

• US 8,876,534 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• 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: Frank, David A., Denghel, Radu E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gishnock, Nikolai A
• Application Number:
  US11/881,011
• Time in Patent Office: 2,659 Days
• Field of Search: 434/42, 434/44, 434/30, 434/33, 434/35, 434/38, 434/41, 434/43, 345/426, 345/427, 703/6, 703/8
• US Class Current: 434/43
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/301 by computer-processed or -generated image
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/34 by cathode-ray screen display G09B9/307, G09B9/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/38 Simulation of runway outlining or approach lights

Abstract

A method for pilot situational awareness comprises calculating a location; providing terrain data for the calculated location; processing the terrain data and positioning a light source generally proximal to a view point of a pilot data to generate a synthetic image, the synthetic image representing an appearance of the terrain data illuminated by an appearance of the light source positioned generally proximal to the view point of the pilot; and displaying the synthetic image.

Claims

1. An apparatus for pilot situational awareness, said apparatus being implemented on-board an aircraft, said apparatus comprising:

a terrain image engine for calculating a location of the aircraft and for providing terrain data for the calculated location;

a processor for processing the terrain data and for processing light source data to generate a synthetic image, the synthetic image representing an appearance, as viewed from a view point of a pilot of the aircraft, of the terrain data illuminated by an appearance of a light source of the light source data, the light source positioned generally proximal to the view point of the pilot of the aircraft; and

a display for displaying the synthetic image,

wherein the apparatus is a Global Positioning System-based system,

wherein the apparatus is user-configurable such that at least one of the terrain image engine and the processor provides the light source data by calculating rays of light being emitted from a point generally proximal to the view point of the pilot to a terrain in a user-selected space, the user-selected space being selected from among a plurality of choices presented to the user, said choices including;

a space into which the aircraft is flying, a space from which the aircraft has flown, a space below the location of the aircraft, and a space extended from a wing of the aircraft.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display displays the synthetic image with the appearance of the light source positioned generally proximal to the view point of the pilot to illuminate terrain threats in a direct path of the aircraft.

3. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer-usable program code for performing a method for providing pilot situational awareness via a synthetic vision system implemented on-board an aircraft, said method including;

calculating a location of the aircraft;

generating terrain data for the calculated location;

providing light source data by calculating rays of light being emitted from a point generally proximal to a view point of a pilot to a terrain in a user-selected space, the user-selected space being selected from among a plurality of choices presented to a user, the plurality of choices including;

a space into which the aircraft is flying, a space from which the aircraft has flown, a space below the location of the aircraft, and a space extended from a wing of the aircraft;

processing the terrain data and light source data to generate a synthetic image, the synthetic image representing an appearance, as viewed from the view point of the pilot of the aircraft, of the terrain data illuminated by an appearance of a light source of the light source data, said light source being positioned generally proximal to the view point of the pilot of the aircraft; and

providing the generated synthetic image to a display of the system,

wherein the synthetic vision system is a Global Positioning System-based system.

4. The computer program product as claimed in claim 3, said method further comprising illuminating terrain threats in a direct path of the aircraft through the appearance of the light source, said light source being positioned generally proximal to the view point of the pilot in the synthetic image.

5. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer-usable program code for performing a method for preventing spatial disorientation of a pilot, said method being performed via a computing system implemented on-board an aircraft, said method including;

computing a location of the aircraft and an aircraft attitude;

computing a displayable image of terrain, the displayable image having an appearance of being viewed from a view point of the pilot of the aircraft, said terrain being located in a space proximal to the aircraft, the space being selected by a user from among a plurality of choices presented to the user, the plurality of choices including;

a space into which the aircraft is flying, a space from which the aircraft has flown, a space below the location of the aircraft, and a space extended from a wing of the aircraft, the displayable image being computed based, at least in part, on the calculated aircraft location and the aircraft attitude, and data for positioning a light source generally proximal to the view point of the pilot;

illuminating terrain threats in the space into which the aircraft is flying with an appearance of the light source positioned generally proximal to the view point of the pilot in the computed image; and

providing the computed image to a display of the computing system,

wherein the computing system is a Global Positioning System-based computing system.