US6862501B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for producing 3D perspective view avionics terrain displays
Assignee: Honeywell International Inc
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Filing: 2002-10-28
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Granted: 2005-03-01
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Expires: 2022-10-28
Abstract
Abstract Methods for generating information for displaying terrain on an aircraft display system that significantly reduces the computation and data load for producing the terrain display. This is accomplished through the use of intelligent level of detail control that computes and displays terrain and dynamic on-terrain perspective projection lines and distance rings aligned with the aircraft heading for depth perception and relative altitude awareness. The terrain details are processed and displayed in a manner that shows all significant terrain features, e.g., peaks, towers, and the like, but through the use of nonlinear error bound geometric morphing, coupled with triangle binary tree based terrain mesh generation, the polygon count, and thus the computational load, are significantly reduced, while visual fidelity is maintained.
Inventors
- 👤 Gang He
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 11:46
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T15/00; G06T15/04; G06T17/00; G06T17/20; G06T2210/00; G06T2210/36; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99933; Y10S707/99936
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
58 words
In an aircraft display system having a processor for processing data for displaying terrain, a method for reducing the required computational load on the processor comprising: obtaining terrain data from a data source, and using the terrain data to construct a polygon terrain mesh, the polygon terrain mesh having error bounds that increase non-linearly from a viewing location.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
58 words
In an aircraft display system having a processor for processing data for displaying terrain, a method for reducing the required computational load on the processor comprising: obtaining terrain data from a data source, and using the terrain data to construct a polygon terrain mesh, the polygon terrain mesh having error bounds that increase non-linearly from a viewing location.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the terrain data comprises a terrain data patch having terrain location and terrain elevation data.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the terrain data patch is used to compute a color texture map using absolute terrain elevation data.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the terrain data patch is used to construct an error bound array for a triangle binary tree based terrain patch, and the polygon terrain mesh is constructed using the error bound array.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the color texture map is loaded onto the polygon terrain mesh to produce a color polygon terrain representation for display.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
95 words
In an aircraft display system having a processor for processing data for displaying terrain, a method for reducing the required computational load on the processor comprising: obtaining terrain data from a data source, using the terrain data to construct a polygon terrain mesh, the polygon terrain mesh having error bounds that increase non-linearly from a viewing location providing higher resolution nearer the viewing location, computing geo-morphing parameters based on the error bound, and using the parameters to control geo-morphing range and duration to ensure visually smooth transitions from lower resolution displays to higher resolution displays.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
95 words
In an aircraft display system having a processor for processing data for displaying terrain, a method for reducing the required computational load on the processor comprising: obtaining terrain data from a data source, using the terrain data to construct a polygon terrain mesh, the polygon terrain mesh having error bounds that increase non-linearly from a viewing location providing higher resolution nearer the viewing location, computing geo-morphing parameters based on the error bound, and using the parameters to control geo-morphing range and duration to ensure visually smooth transitions from lower resolution displays to higher resolution displays.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the terrain data comprises a terrain data patch having terrain location and terrain elevation data.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the terrain data patch is used to compute a color texture map using absolute terrain elevation data.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the terrain data patch is used to construct an error bound array for a triangle binary tree based terrain patch, and the polygon terrain mesh is constructed using the error bound array.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the color texture map is loaded onto the polygon terrain mesh to produce a color polygon terrain representation for display.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
68 words
In an aircraft display system having a processor for processing data for displaying terrain, a method for reducing the required computational load on the processor comprising: obtaining terrain data from a data source, using the terrain data to construct a polygon terrain mesh, the polygon terrain mesh having error bounds that increase non-linearly from a viewing location, and using the terrain mesh, dynamically generating terrain-tracing perspective projection lines.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
68 words
In an aircraft display system having a processor for processing data for displaying terrain, a method for reducing the required computational load on the processor comprising: obtaining terrain data from a data source, using the terrain data to construct a polygon terrain mesh, the polygon terrain mesh having error bounds that increase non-linearly from a viewing location, and using the terrain mesh, dynamically generating terrain-tracing perspective projection lines.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the terrain data comprises a terrain data patch having terrain location and terrain elevation data.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the terrain data patch is used to compute a color texture map using absolute terrain elevation data.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the terrain data patch is used to construct an error bound array for a triangle binary tree based terrain patch, and the polygon terrain mesh is constructed using the error bound array.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as set forth in claim 14 wherein the color texture map is loaded onto the polygon terrain mesh to produce a color polygon terrain representation for display.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
106 words
In an aircraft display system having a processor for processing data for displaying terrain, a method for reducing the required computational load on the processor comprising: obtaining terrain data from a data source, using the terrain data to construct a polygon terrain mesh, the polygon terrain mesh having error bounds that increase non-linearly from a viewing location providing higher resolution nearer the viewing location, computing geo-morphing parameters based on the error bound, using the parameters to control geo-morphing range and duration to ensure visually smooth transitions from lower resolution displays to higher resolution displays, and dynamically generating terrain-tracing range rings using the geo-morphed polygon terrain mesh.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
106 words
In an aircraft display system having a processor for processing data for displaying terrain, a method for reducing the required computational load on the processor comprising: obtaining terrain data from a data source, using the terrain data to construct a polygon terrain mesh, the polygon terrain mesh having error bounds that increase non-linearly from a viewing location providing higher resolution nearer the viewing location, computing geo-morphing parameters based on the error bound, using the parameters to control geo-morphing range and duration to ensure visually smooth transitions from lower resolution displays to higher resolution displays, and dynamically generating terrain-tracing range rings using the geo-morphed polygon terrain mesh.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein the terrain data comprises a terrain data patch having terrain location and terrain elevation data.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the terrain data patch is used to compute a color texture map using absolute terrain elevation data.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the terrain data patch is used to construct an error bound array for a triangle binary tree based terrain patch, and the polygon terrain mesh is constructed using the error bound array.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the color texture map is loaded onto the polygon terrain mesh to produce a color polygon terrain representation for display.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2008-02-29 | 2008-08-30 | 2009-03-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2012-02-29 | 2012-08-30 | 2013-03-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2016-02-29 | 2016-08-30 | 2017-03-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |