Graphical Image Recreation With Character Recognition for Compact Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Flight charts in avionics systems are large in file size due to rasterized image characters, occupying excessive storage space and complicating storage capacity, especially when multiple charts are needed for each flight.

Innovation Solution

Convert flight chart images from PDF format to hardware directives, recognizing characters as vectorized entities using character recognition, reducing storage requirements by up to 99% through character conversion to a predefined standard.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If flight charts are stored in PDF format with rasterized image characters, then the charts can be displayed accurately, but the storage space required becomes excessively large

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay accuracyVSAvoidstorage space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the textual character information from the rasterized PDF images and separates it from the graphical elements. By identifying and extracting text characters, the system can replace them with more efficient vector-based representations, thereby reducing overall storage requirements while maintaining display accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the representation parameter of textual characters from rasterized pixel-based images to vector-based graphical representations. This parameter change allows the same visual information to be stored with significantly less data, as vectors can be scaled and rendered without loss of quality, directly addressing the storage space contradiction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple flight charts are maintained for each flight, then all needed information is available, but the storage capacity requirement increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechart availabilityVSAvoidstorage capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

By changing the storage parameter from raster images to vector graphics with character recognition, the patent enables efficient storage of multiple flight charts. The reduced data size per chart allows the system to maintain multiple charts simultaneously without exceeding storage capacity limits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Shape

If text characters are represented as rasterized image characters, then the visual appearance is maintained, but the file size increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecharacter appearanceVSAvoidfile size
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts textual character data from the rasterized images and represents it separately using vector-based graphical characters. This extraction allows the system to maintain the visual appearance of text while storing it in a more compact format, reducing file size without sacrificing character appearance quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4181070B1System and method for recreating graphical image using character recognition to reduce storage space
Publication Date: 2025.10.08 ROCKWELL COLLINS INC
  • EP4181070B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4181070B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4181070B1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

A system may include a computer readable medium and a processor communicatively coupled to the computer readable medium. The processor may be configured to: obtain a graphical image file, the graphical image file including an image, wherein the image includes a portion including textual characters, wherein each textual character of the textual characters is formed of line segments; and convert the graphical image file to at least one file including hardware directives that when executed cause a recreation of the image of the graphical image file to be drawn, wherein a size of the at least one file is smaller than the graphical image file.