System and method for eliminating terrain color confusion in aircraft displays

An aircraft situational awareness display system, comprising:

• an altitude sensing device;
• a terrain database;
• and
• a processor coupled to said altitude sensing device and said terrain database, said processor operable to:
• receive a current altitude of said aircraft from said altitude sensing device;
• retrieve absolute terrain data and relative terrain data from said terrain database;
• compare said current altitude with said relative terrain data;
• and
• if said comparison of said current altitude and said relative terrain data indicates that said relative terrain data should be displayed, generating non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said absolute terrain data and color coded visual display control signals associated with said relative terrain data.

A method for eliminating terrain color confusion in a visual display, comprising the steps of:

• determining a current altitude of an airborne vehicle;
• retrieving a first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of relative terrain data elements;
• comparing said current altitude of said airborne vehicle with said second plurality of relative terrain data elements;
• and
• if a result of said comparing step indicates that an elevation associated with at least one relative terrain data element of said second plurality of relative terrain data elements is greater than or equal to a predefined elevation associated with said current altitude of said airborne vehicle, generating a first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said at least one relative terrain data element.

A computer program product, comprising:

• a computer-usable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for configuring a computer processor, the computer program product comprising:
• a first executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to determine a current altitude of an airborne vehicle;
• a second executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to retrieve a first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of relative terrain data elements;
• a third executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to compare said current altitude of said airborne vehicle with said second plurality of relative terrain data elements;
• and
• a fourth executable computer-readable code configured to cause a computer processor to generate a first plurality of non-color coded visual display control signals associated with said first plurality of absolute terrain data elements and a second plurality of color coded visual display control signals associated with said at least one relative terrain data element, if a result of the compare operation indicates that an elevation associated with at least one relative terrain data element of said second plurality of relative terrain data elements is greater than or equal to a predefined elevation associated with said current altitude of said airborne vehicle.