Chart Thumbnail Panel Mapping for Multi-Projection Map Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing map projection methods often introduce skewed coordinates when displaying curved real-world areas on flat maps, making it difficult to maintain situational awareness, especially when dealing with large-scale maps that need to be split into multiple panels for viewing.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for generating thumbnail panels by projecting panel corners onto an area map, determining extraction mappings, and extracting area map data to create thumbnail panels that represent the same geographical area in a simplified and legible format, allowing for easy navigation and situational awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If map projection is used to display curved real-world areas on flat maps, then the map can be displayed on a flat surface, but skewed coordinates are introduced compared to real-world shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates thumbnail copies of the area map that preserve the projection characteristics while maintaining visual accuracy for navigation purposes. The thumbnail generation process extracts and reproduces the essential geographical features and panel boundaries without requiring perfect coordinate fidelity, thus resolving the contradiction between flat display and coordinate accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the coordinate system parameters by projecting panel corners from the chart data coordinate system to the area map coordinate system. This parameter transformation allows the thumbnails to be generated in the area map's projection while maintaining accurate representation of panel boundaries and geographical features relative to that projection.
2Area of stationary object
If large-scale maps are split into multiple panels for viewing, then the map becomes manageable and viewable, but situational awareness becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The thumbnail display serves itself by providing a comprehensive overview that automatically shows the relationship between all map panels. Each thumbnail panel includes visual indicators of its boundaries and position within the overall area map, enabling the display to self-document the multi-panel layout and maintain situational awareness without requiring additional external references.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thumbnail panels as an intermediary representation between the full area map and the individual chart panels. These thumbnails act as a mediator that preserves and communicates the spatial relationships and boundaries across multiple panels, thereby maintaining situational awareness while allowing the map to be divided into manageable sections.
3Adaptability or versatility
If thumbnail panels are generated from chart data with different projection types, then compatibility between different map vendors is achieved, but complex extraction mapping is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal corner projection approach that works across different projection types and map vendors. By focusing the transformation on key corner points rather than the entire coordinate system, the method achieves broad compatibility while keeping the extraction mapping relatively simple and consistent across different data sources.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A method for generating thumbnails is disclosed. The method may include receiving an area map, and chart data having a geographical information set. The method may include generating a plurality of panels having one or more panel corners based on the chart data. The method may include projecting the one or more panel corners onto the area map, defining one or more corners of a plurality of areas to be extracted. The method may include determining an extraction mapping for each area to be extracted, the extraction mapping configured to map the plurality of areas to be extracted to a plurality of thumbnail panels. The method may include extracting area map data from each area to be extracted to generate a plurality of thumbnail panels using the determined extraction mapping. The method may include generating a thumbnail display by combining each thumbnail panel of the plurality of thumbnail panels.