Panoramic Display Virtual Cylinder Orientation Plane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in displaying a wide field of view effectively, making it difficult for operators to simultaneously monitor the entire scene and detect specific objects or events within it, particularly in dynamic environments where rapid reaction is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a virtual cylinder from a rectangular image, with vertical division and orientation plane creation, and the use of radial pointers and markers to indicate object positions and orientations, allowing for intuitive direction and efficient situational awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a wide field of view scene is displayed to allow monitoring of the entire scene, then situational awareness is improved, but the ability to detect and acquire specific objects of interest deteriorates due to the vast area requiring attention
Solution Approach 1:
The panoramic image is divided into multiple segments or zones radiating from the center point. Objects in different segments can be independently monitored and acquired. The visual field is segmented into angular zones that radiate outward, allowing operators to focus on specific segments containing objects of interest while maintaining awareness of the entire scene through the structured segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the traditional 2D panoramic display into a 3D-like radial coordinate system. By introducing radial distance and angular position as separate dimensions, objects are positioned in a polar coordinate framework rather than a flat Cartesian grid. This dimensional transformation allows operators to perceive depth and direction more intuitively, improving both situational awareness and target acquisition.
2Area of stationary object
If traditional panoramic display methods are used, then the entire scene can be shown, but cognitive load increases due to the need to calculate real-life positions of targets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cognitive process of calculating target positions with an intuitive visual representation system. Instead of requiring operators to mentally compute positions from a flat panoramic image, the system uses radial pointers and markers that directly indicate angular positions and distances. This substitution transforms a complex cognitive calculation task into a simple visual interpretation task.
Solution Approach 2:
Radial pointers and orientation markers serve as intermediary visual aids between the panoramic image and the operator's understanding. These intermediaries translate the complex spatial relationships in the panoramic view into intuitive radial coordinates, mediating the information between the display system and human perception without requiring complex cognitive processing.
3Speed
If the displayed scene undergoes frequent and drastic changes, then dynamic monitoring is required, but maintaining continuous situational awareness becomes very difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The radial coordinate system pre-organizes the visual space into fixed angular zones and distance markers before any objects appear. This preliminary structuring of the display framework allows operators to rapidly interpret changes as objects move through predetermined radial zones, rather than having to continuously re-map positions in a dynamic flat panoramic view. The pre-established radial grid provides stable reference points that persist through scene changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for displaying to an operator a rectangular image having a wide field of view of a scene, includes forming a virtual cylinder from the rectangular image, as if it was first printed on a transparent sheet such that it is visible from both sides of the sheet, and then rolled to form the cylinder. A perspective view of the cylinder is provided, vertically dividing the cylinder into two halves. One of the cylinder halves is vertically shifted until there is no overlap between the two halves. The ellipse which is formed between the two halves following the shifting step is defined as an orientation plane.