Vector Graphic Weather Hazard Data Transmission for Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current avionics systems in aircraft are limited in providing high-quality, easily interpretable graphical weather hazard information due to bandwidth restrictions, leading to inadequate situational awareness for pilots, especially in detecting turbulence and convective activity along the flight route, and are not adaptable to new weather reporting technologies.
Innovation Solution
A ground-based image generation device processes meteorological data to represent hazard areas as geographically-referenced polygons, limits the image data to relevant areas around the aircraft's flight path, and transmits this data for direct integration into the cockpit displays, using image processing techniques to reduce data size while maintaining fidelity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If detailed graphical weather hazard information is transmitted to aircraft, then situational awareness and decision-making quality improve, but bandwidth requirements exceed available communication capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the graphical weather hazard information into discrete vector graphic elements defined by mathematical coordinates and parameters. Instead of transmitting complete raster images, the system transmits segmented geometric definitions that can be rendered at various resolutions, significantly reducing data volume while maintaining information quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the representation parameters from raster pixel data to vector mathematical definitions. By using coordinate geometry and mathematical formulas to define hazard areas rather than pixel grids, the system achieves lossless compression and enables scalable rendering without proportionally increasing transmission data.
2Measurement precision
If high-resolution graphical displays are implemented in cockpit, then hazard detection capability improves, but avionics system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a ground-based server as an intermediary that performs the complex image processing and vector graphic generation. This external mediator handles the computationally intensive tasks of weather data analysis and graphical representation, allowing the aircraft avionics to use simpler display systems while still achieving high-resolution hazard visualization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates simplified vector-based copies of weather hazard data that can be rendered at high resolution through mathematical calculation rather than physical pixel storage. The vector graphic representations serve as compact copies that expand to full display resolution only when rendered on the cockpit display, reducing onboard storage and processing requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If avionics systems are updated to support new weather reporting technologies, then adaptability improves, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional architecture by moving the complex processing functionality from the aircraft avionics to ground-based servers. Instead of requiring aircraft systems to be adaptable to new weather technologies, the ground infrastructure absorbs the adaptability requirements, allowing aircraft to use standardized, simpler display interfaces that work with multiple weather data sources.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided for identifying weather hazard and other hazard information to aircraft in flight for direct graphical integration into situational awareness and other display components in the cockpit by transmitting the data over a comparatively low bandwidth information and/or data exchange connection with the aircraft. Graphically-displayed hazard information is provided for display on the aircraft cockpit display components in sufficient enough detail to support timely tactical decision making on the part of the pilots for hazard avoidance. The disclosed schemes provide a capacity to transmit higher fidelity hazard data to an aircraft over comparatively lower bandwidth systems by representing the hazard data by polygons to describe images, rather than describing the images on a much more cumbersome pixel-by-pixel basis. The disclosed schemes reduce the complexity of the image data without losing critical image information for producing comparatively higher-quality representations on currently-available aircraft cockpit system display components.