Prioritized Synthetic Vision Display for Aircraft Approach
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft synthetic vision systems can overwhelm pilots with photo-realistic textures during approach and landing, making it difficult to distinguish important from less important objects, which can lead to unsafe navigation, especially in low visibility conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that prioritize photo-realistic features based on aircraft type, speed, and altitude, displaying them in a manner that deemphasizes less important objects to enhance pilot understanding, using a system with databases, sensors, and a display device to highlight critical features while reducing clutter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If photo realistic textures are displayed on terrain and objects in synthetic vision systems, then visual realism and detail are improved, but display clutter and information overload increase, making it difficult for pilots to recognize and understand important objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the display characteristics of various terrain features based on their importance. Critical features such as obstacles, terrain variations, and navigation landmarks are displayed with enhanced photo realistic textures and visual prominence, while less critical areas use reduced detail or synthetic representations. This selective application of visual quality allows pilots to quickly identify important objects without being overwhelmed by excessive detail throughout the entire display.
2Quantity of substance
If all photo realistic features are displayed with equal detail, then complete visual information is provided, but pilot recognition speed and understanding decrease due to information overload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the terrain display into multiple categories based on importance and relevance to flight safety. Different segmentation levels include critical obstacles, significant terrain features, and general terrain context. Each segment is rendered with appropriate levels of photo realistic detail, allowing pilots to process information hierarchically and rapidly identify critical features without being distracted by less important visual elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes display parameters such as texture resolution, color saturation, and visual enhancement levels based on the importance classification of different terrain features. Critical features receive parameter adjustments that increase their visual prominence and detail, while non-critical features use reduced parameter settings. This adaptive parameter adjustment maintains comprehensive visual information while optimizing pilot recognition speed through selective emphasis.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for displaying photo realistic features (230, 232, 234) on a display (116) of an aircraft (218) include storing (302) a plurality of photo realistic features (230, 232, 234), the photo realistic features including at least one of terrain (230) and obstacle (232) features. A priority factor is determined (304) that is based on one of, for example, aircraft type, speed, and altitude, and a plurality of display state is prioritized (304) for each of the plurality of photo realistic features (230. 232, 234) in accordance with the priority factor. One of the first and second display states is displayed (308) for each of the plurality of photo realistic features (230, 232, 234) as determined by the prioritizing step (306).