Systems and methods for displaying images with multi-resolution integration

• US 9,347,792 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Meeker, John, Cunningham, John, Baughman, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tryder, Gregory J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Kwang
• Application Number:
  US13/285,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20130106832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3638 including 3D objects and buildings three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects G06T17/00; geographic models G06T17/05
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A display system is provided for a vehicle. The system includes a first data source configured to provide low resolution terrain data; a second data source configured to provide high resolution terrain data; a processing unit coupled to the first data source and the second data source, the processing unit configured to receive the low resolution terrain data and high resolution terrain data, to integrate the low resolution terrain data and the high resolution terrain data into a common three-dimensional view that includes graphical elements representing both the low and the high resolution terrain data, and to supply display commands associated with the low and the high resolution terrain data; and a display device coupled to the processing unit and configured to receive the display commands and operable to render the common three-dimensional view to thereby allow simultaneous viewing of the low and the high resolution terrain data.

Claims

1. A display system for a vehicle, comprising:

a first data source configured to provide low resolution terrain 3D geometry data;

a second data source configured to provide high resolution terrain 3D geometry data;

a processing unit coupled to the first data source and the second data source, the processing unit configured to receive the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data and high resolution terrain 3D geometry data, to integrate the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data and the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data into a common three-dimensional view that comprises graphical elements representing both the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data and the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data by forming at least one low resolution mesh strip of the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data corresponding to a FOV, identifying any intersections of a high resolution patch of the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data within the FOV and the at least one low resolution mesh strip, removing a portion of the at least one low resolution mesh strip intersected by the high resolution patch, patching the high resolution patch into the removed portion of the at least one low resolution mesh strip, and blending a boundary between the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data and the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data, and to supply display commands associated with the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data and the high resolution terrain data; and

a display device coupled to the processing unit and configured to receive the display commands and operable to render the common three-dimensional view to thereby allow simultaneous viewing of the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data and the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the first data source and the second data source are disparate data sources.

3. The display system of claim 1, wherein the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data of the second data source corresponds to a point of interest.

4. The display system of claim 1, wherein the first data source and the second data source are both databases.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein the first data source and the second data source are different kinds of data sources.

6. The display system of claim 1, wherein the display device is a Primary Flight Display (PFD) or a Multi-Function Display (MFD).

7. The display system of claim 1, wherein the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data from the first data source has a first resolution relative to lateral spacing and the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data from the second data source has a second resolution relative to lateral spacing, the first resolution being at least an order of magnitude greater than the second resolution.

8. The display system of claim 1,

wherein the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data from the first data source includes elevation values with post spacings of 1 meter or less, and

wherein the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data from the second data source includes elevation values with post spacings of approximately 90 to 185 meters.

9. The display system of claim 1,

wherein, for a first latitude, longitude, and elevation coordinate,

the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data from the first data source includes the first latitude, longitude, and elevation coordinate at a first resolution,

the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data from the second data source includes the first latitude, longitude, and elevation coordinate at a second resolution, lower than the first resolution.

10. A method for displaying multi-resolution terrain data on an aircraft display, the method comprising:

determining boundaries of a field of view (FOV) of a user of the aircraft display;

storing low resolution terrain 3D geometry data in a first data source;

storing high resolution terrain 3D geometry data in a second data source, the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data at least partially grouped according a plurality of bounding boxes;

comparing the boundaries of the FOV to the bounding boxes of the high resolution terrain geometry data;

determining if a first portion of at least one of the bounding boxes is within the boundaries of the FOV;

if the first portion of the at least one of the bounding boxes is within the boundaries of the FOV

generating a high resolution patch for the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data within at least the first portion of the at least one of the bounding boxes within the boundaries of the FOV;

forming at least one low resolution mesh strip of low resolution terrain 3D geometry data corresponding to the FOV;

identifying any intersections between the high resolution patch and the at least one low resolution mesh strip;

removing a portion of the at least one low resolution mesh strip intersected by the high resolution patch;

patching the high resolution patch into the removed portion of the at least one low resolution mesh strip;

blending the intersections of the high resolution patch and the at least one low resolution mesh strip to generate an integrated FOV image on the aircraft display; and

if the first portion of the at least one of the bounding boxes is outside of the boundaries of the FOV, generating a low resolution FOV image on the aircraft display.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the integrated FOV image and the low resolution FOV image is a continuous, three dimensional perspective view.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data has a resolution at least 10 times greater than the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data with respect to lateral spacing.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data has a resolution with a non-integer relationship relative to the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the blending and generating steps include rendering the integrated FOV image and the low resolution FOV image on a Primary Flight Display (PFD) or a Multi-Function Display (MFD).

15. A method for displaying multi-resolution terrain data in a field of view (FOV), the method comprising:

receiving low resolution terrain 3D geometry data from a first data source;

forming a low resolution mesh from the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data corresponding to the FOV;

reviewing high resolution terrain 3D geometry data from a second data source for high resolution terrain data associated with the FOV;

generating a high resolution patch from the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data corresponding to the FOV;

identifying any intersections between the high resolution patch and the low resolution mesh;

removing a portion of the low resolution mesh intersected by the high resolution patch;

patching the removed portion of the low resolution mesh with at least a portion of the high resolution patch;

blending the resulting low resolution terrain 3D geometry data and the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data into a continuous, three-dimensional perspective view of integrated high resolution terrain 3D geometry data and low resolution terrain 3D geometry data, the high resolution terrain 3D geometry data having a resolution higher than the low resolution terrain 3D geometry data and having a non-integer relationship; and

producing display signals for the FOV.