Annotated Aircraft Camera Display for Faster Traffic Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft navigation systems lack the ability to quickly and accurately identify and assess relevant visual information surrounding the aircraft, particularly in general aviation applications.
Innovation Solution
Aircraft navigation systems that receive streaming images from cameras, combine them with navigation and surrounding aircraft information, and generate annotated images with identifiers for surrounding aircraft, including characteristics like call signs, intentions, and motion vectors, displayed on cockpit screens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional navigation displays are used, then the system is simple, but the pilot cannot quickly identify and assess surrounding aircraft and environmental features
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple information sources (camera streaming images, navigation data, surrounding aircraft information) into a single integrated display. The system merges visual imagery with annotated identifiers and environmental feature labels to create a comprehensive situational awareness display that enables pilots to quickly identify surrounding aircraft while maintaining system manageability through unified presentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds an informational dimension to the traditional 2D display by overlaying annotated identifiers, call signs, and environmental feature labels onto the streaming camera images. This creates a multi-layered display that provides both visual and data-rich information simultaneously, enabling faster identification without requiring separate traditional navigation displays.
2Loss of information
If detailed surrounding aircraft information is displayed, then situational awareness is improved, but information processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary processing by pre-formatting surrounding aircraft information (call signs, identifiers, environmental features) and pre-positioning annotations in the display system before they are needed. The annotation system is pre-configured to automatically label detected features, so when aircraft and environmental elements appear in the camera stream, their information is already prepared and can be displayed immediately without real-time processing delays.
3Reliability
If real-time streaming images with annotations are displayed, then pilot awareness is enhanced, but display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display information into distinct functional layers: the base streaming camera image layer, the annotated identifier layer for surrounding aircraft, and the environmental feature labeling layer. Each layer can be independently controlled and adjusted, allowing the system to maintain high information accuracy while managing complexity through modular organization of display elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing a streaming display with surrounding aircraft information on an aircraft. The method includes receiving a streaming image from a camera on the aircraft, receiving navigation information representative of the location and orientation of the aircraft, and receiving surrounding aircraft information associated with each of one or more surrounding aircraft. Based upon the navigation information and the surrounding aircraft information, a location of each surrounding aircraft with respect to the streaming image is determined. A surrounding aircraft identifier for each surrounding aircraft, and a surrounding aircraft-annotated streaming image based upon the streaming image are generated. The surrounding aircraft-annotated image includes each surrounding aircraft identifier, and each surrounding aircraft identifier is at a location in the surrounding aircraft-annotated streaming image corresponding to the location of the associated surrounding aircraft. The surrounding aircraft-annotated streaming image is displayed in the aircraft.