Transparent Overlay for Safety-Critical Traffic Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing traffic management and operations control systems face challenges in seamlessly integrating multiple information sources and applications without disrupting safety-critical sequences or requiring hardware changes, limiting their ability to efficiently present and process safety-critical information.
Innovation Solution
The method employs transparent logical layers for screen display, allowing additional applications to overlay existing safety-critical applications without altering hardware, enabling multiple partially transparent applications to coexist on a single screen, ensuring continuous monitoring and improved clarity without interfering with the primary application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple applications are displayed on separate non-overlapping screens, then each application is fully visible, but the user cannot monitor safety-critical information continuously while using additional applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional layout where applications are displayed side-by-side or stacked vertically to a multi-layered z-dimensional arrangement. Applications are stacked on top of each other with transparency settings, allowing the controller to access multiple applications simultaneously while keeping the primary safety-critical application visible in the background, thus enabling continuous monitoring without losing access to other information
2Adaptability or versatility
If hardware overlay displays are used to show multiple applications, then multiple information sources can be displayed simultaneously, but hardware changes and adjustments are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical hardware overlay display system with a software-based solution using transparent logical layers. Instead of physically stacking transparent displays over each other, the system uses software rendering with adjustable transparency properties, allowing multiple applications to be overlaid on a single standard screen without any hardware modifications or complex mechanical configurations
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing applications are modified to work with new systems, then integration is achieved, but the fundamental safety-critical processes are interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display system into independent transparent logical layers, each handling a separate application. The primary safety-critical application runs in its own layer and remains completely independent, while additional applications are added as separate overlay layers. This segmentation allows new applications to be integrated without modifying or interfering with the existing safety-critical application code or processes
4Ease of operation
If multiple applications occupy the same screen area with full opacity, then application functionality is complete, but the underlying safety-critical information becomes completely obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different transparency qualities to different regions and layers of the display system. The primary safety-critical application layer maintains full opacity to ensure complete visibility of traffic signals. Overlay applications use partial transparency settings, allowing their information to be visible while simultaneously permitting the underlying safety-critical information to show through, thus maintaining both application functionality and information visibility
Data Source
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Figure 3
AI summary
The method involves providing other applications (12,13), which have a user interface, which occupies identical or overlapping area of a screen with a first application (11). The other applications are superimposed to the first application, such that the user interface of the other applications cover the first application. The other applications are formed transparent in an image area, such that the traffic data are represented by the first application. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) a traffic management terminal for representing and processing safety-critical information for traffic management and control centers with one screen; and (2) a data carrier for storing a program of applications.