Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Daniel Y Chiew

Travis S VanDerKamp

David A Frank

Carlo L Tiana

Weston James Lahr

Roger L Yum

Elisabeth Barnes

Robert D Brown

Brandon E Wilson

Alexander D Reid

Robert W Wood

Yashaswi M Narasimha Murthy

Patrick Dennis McCusker

Christopher A Scherer

Jason Davis

Jeffrey D Russell

John C Frank

Tiffany D Williamson

Irina R Sandu

Zoubair Entezari

Matt Myers

Raghunath Viswanatha

Ryan L Niehaus

Usama Gheblawi

Patrick Mccusker

A system and method for creating avionic databases is disclosed. The system may receive an avionic database of an area, surveyed coordinate points of the area, and new satellite imagery of the area. The system may georeference the new satellite imagery using the surveyed coordinate points as ground control points, generating georeferenced coordinate points of the new satellite imagery in different locations of the area. The system may create a second avionic database based on the georeferenced coordinate points.

Aerial image geo-registration via aeronautical database content as ground control points

An integrity monitoring system for a first image sensor includes an electronic processor configured to receive sensor data for the provision of image data associated with an environment of the avionic sensor. The electronic processor is configured to monitor the avionic sensor for integrity. The electronic processor is configured to perform at least one of: determining a presence of an optical feature associated with optics of the first image sensor, comparing overlap information derived from the sensor data and other sensor data, comparing characteristics of a digital output stream of the sensor data to expected characteristics, or comparing a first motion derived from the image data and a second motion derived from avionic position equipment.

Integrity monitoring systems and methods for image sensors

An aircraft display control system is disclosed. The system comprises one or more displays configured to present a video stream of a surrounding environment to a user of the aircraft, image sensors configured to generate images of the surrounding environment, and a controller configured to execute an enhanced vision system (EVS) module, a synthetic vision system (SVS) module, a combined vision system (CVS) module and a brightness equalization module. The brightness equalization module measures an apparent brightness of a first frame of the video stream and applies a sigmoid transform function to equalize grayscale levels of a second frame of the video stream based on the apparent brightness of the first frame.

Apparent video brightness control and metric

A system may include a display and a processor communicatively coupled to the display. The processor may be configured to: output, to the display, a synthetic vision system (SVS) taxi mode exocentric view of an aircraft when the aircraft is performing taxi operations and when the aircraft is on ground; receive a user input to switch the output of the SVS taxi mode exocentric view to an SVS flight mode egocentric view from the aircraft; and switch the output of the SVS taxi mode exocentric view to output, to the display, the SVS flight mode egocentric view when the aircraft is performing taxi operations and when the aircraft is on ground based at least on the user input to switch from the SVS taxi mode exocentric view to the SVS flight mode egocentric view.

System and method to momentarily switch SVS mode

A head-up display may include a combiner, a projector, a supplemental indicator, and a processor communicatively coupled to the supplemental indicator and the projector. The projector may be configured to project images onto or through the combiner. The combiner may be configured to present the images to a user. The supplemental indicator may be configured to visibly present supplemental information to the user. The processor may be configured to output image data signals to the projector, wherein the image data signals may be configured to cause the projector to project the images onto or through the combiner. The processor may be further configured to output supplemental indicator signals to the supplemental indicator, wherein the supplemental indicator signals may be configured to cause the supplemental indicator to visibly present the supplemental information to the user.

Head-up display including supplemental indicator

A system and method. The system may include a display, an image generator configured to output a stream of image data, an aircraft state sensor configured to output aircraft state data, and at least one processor. The at least one processor may be configured to: receive the stream of image data; compute an optical flow on the stream of the image data resulting in image-based motion vectors (MVs); receive the aircraft state data; compute expected MVs based on the aircraft state data; compare the expected MVs with the image-based MVs; determine whether at least some of the stream of the image data fails a predetermined assurance level based on a comparison of the expected MVs with the image-based MVs; and upon a determination that at least a portion of the stream of the image data fails the predetermined assurance level, transmit or implement a system response.

Motion vector vision system integrity monitor

A present novel and non-trivial system, apparatus, and method for generating runway visual aids on an aircraft display unit. Visual aids could comprise of runway indicators corresponding to minimum and maximum rollout and touchdown points, each of which may be determined in real-time by applying input factors to one or more configurable landing profiles. Data representative of visual aids may be provided by one or more sources including runway data sources and real-time input factors. An image generating processor generates an image data set representative of a three-dimensional perspective view of a scene outside the aircraft, wherein the image data set is determined as a function of terrain data, runway data, and visual aid data. The image data set may be provided to a Head-Down Display unit, a Head-Up Display unit, or both, whereby an image contains a runway depicted with at least one visual aid.

System, apparatus, and method for generating runway visual aids on an aircraft display unit

Present novel and non-trivial system, device, and method for combining image data received from two or more vision systems are disclosed. A system may be comprised of a first vision source, a second vision source, and an image generator ('IG'). The first vision source may be could configured to generate a first image data set and a depth buffer data set, and the second vision data source could configured to generate a second image data set. The IG could be configured to receive both the first and second image data sets; the depth buffer data set; and generate a third image data set as a function of both image data sets, the depth buffer data set, and a pixel cutoff distance that may be fixed or variable. In addition, the pixel cutoff distance may be determined as a function of input variable data.

Image combining system, device, and method of multiple vision sources

A present novel and non-trivial system, apparatus, and method for generating runway visual aids on an aircraft display unit, where such visual aids could be comprised of surface markings corresponding to the runway. Navigation data and runway data may be provided to an image generating processor which, in turn, generates an image data set representative of at least one visual aid corresponding to one runway located in the scene outside the aircraft. The intensity or brightness of a visual aid could vary when the aircraft is operating on the approach phase of flight. The variation of such intensity could be defined as a function of the navigation data and the data representative of one or more waypoints. The image data set may be provided to a Head-Down Display unit, a Head-Up Display unit, or both, each visual aid is presented on the screen of the display unit.

Position-dependent system, apparatus, and method for generating runway visual aids presented on an aircraft display unit

A present novel and non-trivial system, apparatus, and method for generating HUD image data from synthetic image data is disclosed. Based on a multi-channel pixel intensity data set generated by a synthetic vision system, a single-channel pixel intensity data set representative of a lighted solid image of terrain comprised of a plurality of intensities of one color may be generated. The single-channel pixel intensity image data set may be determined as a function of multi-channel pixel intensity data set and channel weighting, where channel weighting may be based on sky and/or terrain colors employed by an SVS. Based on the multi-channel pixel intensity data set, a three-dimensional perspective scene outside the aircraft may be presented to the pilot on a HUD combiner. Also, the multi-channel pixel intensity data set may be modified by using at least one chroma key, where such chroma key may be assigned to a specific multi-channel pixel intensity value.

System, module, and method for generating HUD image data from synthetic vision system image data

A present novel and non-trivial system, module, and method for presenting NOTAM information are disclosed. A plurality of sources may be used for providing navigation data, terrain data, NOTAM data, and object data. After receiving this data, a NOTAM display generating processor may generate a NOTAM image data set as a function of the navigation data, terrain data, NOTAM data, and object data. The NOTAM image data set may be representative of NOTAM information presented in a three-dimensional perspective of a scene outside an aircraft, where NOTAM information may comprise non-textual NOTAM information, textual NOTAM information, or both. After being generated, the NOTAM image data set may be provided to a presentation system where NOTAM information may be presented on at least one tactical display unit such as a head-down display unit and/or a head-up display unit.

System, module, and method for presenting NOTAM information on an aircraft display unit

The present disclosure is directed to a dynamic field of view (FOV) for a synthetic vision system (SVS) scene. The FOV within the SVS scene may switch between a FOV conformal to the real world outside of a vehicle and a wider FOV when beneficial. In an aircraft, for example, generating the SVS scene with the narrower FOV may be optimal during flight, while on the ground a wider FOV may improve situational awareness during taxiing. Determination of the airborne or grounded status of the aircraft may be based on speed, altitude, user input, or a received signal. Although the foregoing has been described within a particular context, the present disclosure is not limited to this scenario and may be applied to any vehicle in any situation where dynamically changing between a narrower FOV and a wider FOV is beneficial.

Synthetic vision dynamic field of view

A present novel and non-trivial system, apparatus, and method for presenting information to the pilot on an aircraft display unit employed in a synthetic vision system ('SVS'), an enhanced vision system ('EVS'), or combined system. Information regarding the locations of visible and invisible objects related to aviation such as airports, navigation aids and facilities, and airspace are provided by location markers. Data representative of the terrain and location of objects depicted in a scene outside the aircraft are retrieved from one or more data sources. An image generating processor generates an image data set representative of a three-dimensional perspective view of a scene outside the aircraft, wherein the image data set is determined as a function of the terrain data and location marker data associated with the location data. The image data set may be provided to a Head-Down Display unit, a Head-Up Display unit, or both.

System, apparatus, and method for generating location information on an aircraft display unit using location markers

A present novel and non-trivial system, module, and method for presenting an abbreviated pathway on a tactical display unit. A processor generates an image data set representative of a pathway and a three-dimensional perspective scene outside the aircraft using terrain data, first location highlighter data, and second location highlighter data, where the first location highlighter data corresponds to the active flight path and second location highlighter data corresponds to a subsequent flight path. After being presented to a display system, an image represented in the image data set is presented on a tactical display unit, whereby an abbreviated pathway appears superimposed against the three-dimensional perspective scene outside the aircraft, where location highlighters are used for the depiction of the pathway comprising of at least one enhanced boundary of the active path, the second waypoint, the third waypoint, and the flight path formed between the second and third waypoints.

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Marion, IA, United States of America

Daniel Y Chiew