Methods and systems for performing charting tasks

• US 9,404,767 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: McNeil Brown, Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOTT, ADAM R
• Application Number:
  US13/157,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20120316776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0047 Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft details of equipment G08G5/0017
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00

Abstract

A method for accessing information on an electronic version of an navigation information display is described. The method includes displaying navigation information on a display of a device, the device incorporating a touch screen, sensing a user touch on the touch screen, determining, by the device, a location on the touch screen where the user touch has occurred, correlating the location on the touch screen where the user touch has occurred with a location on the navigation information display, and displaying a magnified area of a portion of the navigation information proximate the location on the touch screen where the user touch occurred.

Claims

1. A method for accessing information on an electronic version of a navigation information display said method comprising:

displaying navigation information in a first portion of a display of a device, the device incorporating a touch screen;

sensing a user touch on the touch screen;

determining, by the device, a location on the touch screen where the user touch has occurred;

correlating the location on the touch screen where the user touch has occurred with a selected location in the navigation information;

displaying a magnified area of a portion of the navigation information corresponding to the selected location, wherein the magnified area is displayed at a position proximate to and above the location on the touch screen where the user touch occurred, and wherein a displayed size of the magnified area is based on at least one user preference; and

displaying textual information related to the magnified area in a second portion of the display device, wherein the textual information includes a latitude and longitude corresponding to the selected location in the navigation information, and wherein the second portion does not overlap the first portion of the display device.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein displaying the magnified area comprises displaying the magnified area over a remainder of the navigation information without underlying content within the magnified area.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein sensing the touch by a user on the touch screen comprises at least one of:

sensing the user touch for a predefined period of time before considering the touch an intended touch; and

sensing the user touch for a user defined period of time before considering the touch an intended touch.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein displaying the magnified area of the navigation information comprises causing the magnified area to be moved about the display based upon a sensed path of a prolonged touch by the user upon the touch screen.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising changing a content of the magnified area according to a relative position of the magnified area with respect to the navigation information being displayed.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein displaying the magnified area of the navigation information comprises enclosing the magnified area within a boundary, the boundary being displayed on the display of the device.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein displaying the magnified area of the navigation information comprises displaying crosshairs within the magnified area.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

displaying the navigation information and the magnified area in a first portion of the display of the device; and

displaying textual information related to the magnified area in a second portion of the display of the device.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying the portion of the navigation information outside of the magnified area as the portion was displayed prior to the displaying of the magnified area.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising removing the magnified area from the display after a predetermined amount of time has passed since a touch by the user on the touch screen has been sensed.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

display navigation information in a first portion of a touch screen display of a device associated with the at least one processor;

sense a first user touch on the touch screen;

determine, by the device, a location on the touch screen where the first user touch has occurred;

correlate the location on the touch screen where the first user touch has occurred with a selected location in the navigation information;

display a magnified area of a portion of the navigation information corresponding to the selected location, wherein the magnified area is displayed at a position proximate to and above the location on the touch screen where the user touch occurred, and wherein a displayed size of the magnified area is based on at least one user preference, and wherein

the magnified area overlaid over the navigation information; and

display textual information related to the magnified area in a second portion of the touch screen display, wherein the textual information includes a latitude and longitude corresponding to the selected location in the navigation information, wherein the second portion does not overlap the first portion of the touch screen display.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 11 wherein to display the magnified area, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

determine, by the device, a location on the touch screen where a second user touch has occurred;

correlate the location on the touch screen where the second user touch has occurred with a location on the navigation information; and

display an indicator that is overlaid over the navigation information, the indicator extending from the location where the first user touch occurred to the location where the second user touch occurred.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 12 wherein to display the indicator, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to display a text box proximate the indicator, the text box including at least a bearing and distance information from the location where the first user touch occurred to the location where the second user touch occurred.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to claim 11 wherein to display the magnified area of a portion of the navigation information, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

cause the magnified area to be moved about the display based upon a sensed path of a prolonged touch by the user upon the touch screen; and

change a content of the magnified area according to a relative position of the magnified area with respect to the navigation information being displayed.

15. A system for displaying electronic navigation charts, said system comprising:

a processing device;

a memory coupled to said processing device, said memory for storing data defining the electronic navigation charts; and

a display comprising a touch screen, said display and said touch screen communicatively coupled to said processing device, said processing device configured to;

cause the electronic navigation charts to be displayed in a first portion of said display;

receive data from said touch screen indicating one or more user touches on said touch screen;

determine, based on the data received from said touch screen, a location on said touch screen where the one or more user touches have occurred;

correlate the location on said touch screen where the one or more user touches have occurred with the data defining the electronic navigation charts;

display a magnified area of a portion of the navigation information corresponding to the selected location, wherein the magnified area is displayed at a position proximate to and above the location on the touch screen where the user touch occurred, wherein a displayed size of the magnified area is based on at least one user preference, and wherein

the magnified area overlaid over the electronic navigation charts; and

cause textual information related to the magnified area to be displayed in a second portion of said display, the textual information including a latitude and longitude corresponding to the location where the one or more user touches have occurred in the electronic navigation charts, and wherein the second portion does not overlap the first portion of said display.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein to display said magnified area, said processing device is configured to display:

an indicator and a text box proximate the indicator, the text box including at least a bearing and distance information from the location where a first of the one or more user touches occurred to the location where a second of the one or more user touches occurred.