System and method for locating and displaying aircraft information

• US 9,082,208 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spirit Aerosystems Incorporated (Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Spirit Aerosystems Incorporated (Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gabel, Bruce E., Hinson, Donald J., Wilcox, Adam Cade
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAHI, SHAN E
• Application Number:
  US13/473,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 348/46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A system and method for locating and displaying aircraft information, such as three-dimensional models and various information about an aircraft component. The system may include a portable display, a remote processor, and one or more location and/or orientation-determining components. The models and other various information displayed on the portable display may correspond with a location and orientation of the portable display relative to the aircraft component. The location and/or orientation-determining components may include one or more infrared cameras for communicating with the remote processor and a plurality of infrared targets or infrared markers. The remote processor may be configured to filter the information provided to the portable display based on the portable display'"'"'s location and orientation relative to the aircraft component, geographic location, user input, or other various parameters.

Claims

1. A system for displaying location or orientation-dependent images and information about an aircraft component, the system comprising:

a portable display;

at least one infrared marker, radio frequency emitter, or laser emitter fixed to the portable display;

at least one infrared marker, radio frequency emitter, or laser emitter fixed to the aircraft component;

at least one location and orientation-determining component comprising least one of an infrared camera, a radio frequency receiver, and a laser receiver and configured to detect locations of the infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters, and

a remote processor comprising a computing device and a memory storage device having a computer program executable by the computing device stored thereon, the computer program comprising;

a code segment for receiving a signal indicative of a location of a known point on the aircraft component and calibrating a coordinate origin to correspond with the location of the known point;

a code segment for receiving information from the location and orientation-determining component,

a code segment for determining a current location and orientation of the portable display relative to the coordinate origin based on the information received from the location and orientation-determining component; and

a code segment for outputting images to the portable display in realtime, wherein the images are views of a 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component rotated, zoomed, and panned based on the current location and orientation of the portable display relative to the coordinate origin.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable display does not comprise an image-capturing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the location and orientation components further comprise at least one of a geographic-location determining receiver, an accelerometer, tilt sensor, and inclinometer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information received from the location and orientation-determining component is filtered according to at least one of geographic location of the portable display and a user'"'"'s security clearance received by at least one of the portable display and the remote processor.

5. A system for displaying location and orientation-dependent 3-dimensional model views, images, and information about an aircraft component, the system comprising:

a portable display having a plurality of infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters fixed thereto;

a plurality of location and orientation-determining components, wherein the location and orientation-determining components include at least one of an infrared camera, a radio frequency receiver, and a laser receiver configured to track locations of the plurality of infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters; and

a remote processor that;

receives signals output from the location and orientation-determining components,

determines locations of each of the infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters in a three-dimensional plane based on the signals received from the location and orientation-determining components,

determines a current orientation of the portable display using geometric equations based on the locations of each of the plurality of infrared markers, radio frequency emitters, or laser emitters in the three-dimensional plane, and

sends signals to the portable display in realtime, wherein the signals sent to the portable display comprise images to be displayed on the portable display, wherein the images are views of a 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component rotated, zoomed, and panned by the remote processor based on a current location and orientation of the portable display relative to a coordinate origin associated with a known point on the aircraft component.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the coordinate origin is associated with a coordinate origin of the 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component and the remote processor is calibrated to associate a determined location of the known point on the aircraft component with the coordinate origin.

7. A method for sending location and orientation-based image views and information about an aircraft component to a portable display, the method comprising:

receiving signals, with a remote processor, indicative of a location and orientation of the portable display from at least three infrared cameras collecting infrared data from at least three infrared markers fixed to the portable display;

determining, with the remote processor, a location and orientation of the portable display relative to a coordinate origin based on the signals received by the remote processor, wherein the remote processor is configured to associate the coordinates origin with a known point on the aircraft component; and

outputting, with the remote processor, images to the portable display in realtime, wherein the images are views of a 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component rotated, zoomed, and panned based on the location and orientation of the portable display relative to the coordinate origin.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising calibrating the coordinate origin to correspond to at least one of the infrared markers attached to the known point on the aircraft component.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the coordinate origin is the coordinate origin of the 3-dimensional model of the aircraft component.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending at least one of additional images, text, and data to the portable display filtered according to at least one of the location of the portable display, the orientation of the portable display, a particular task selected by a user of the portable display or the remote processor, and a security clearance of a user received by at least one of the portable display and the remote processor.