Method and apparatus for displaying terrain elevation information
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorMichael Dean Hess
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for presenting terrain elevation information on a vehicle display. In one advantageous embodiment, a swath representing an area ahead of the vehicle is identified, wherein the swath has a length and a width. A two dimensional elevation view is presented on the vehicle display, wherein a vertical axis of the two dimensional elevation view represents a highest elevation along a width of a swath for a particular point along the length of the swath. The width of the swath is updated in response to vehicle movement to form an updated swath width. The two dimensional elevation view is updated using the updated swath width.
Claims20
A method for presenting terrain elevation information on a vehicle display, the method comprising:
- identifying a swath representing an area ahead of a vehicle, wherein the swath has a length and a width;
- presenting a two dimensional elevation view on the vehicle display, wherein a vertical axis of the two dimensional elevation view represents a highest elevation along the width of the swath for a particular point along the length of the swath;
- updating the width of the swath in response to vehicle movement to form an updated swath width;
- updating the two dimensional elevation view on the vehicle display using the updated swath width.
A computer program product comprising:
- a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for presenting terrain elevation information, the computer program product comprising:
- computer usable program code for identifying a swath representing an area ahead of a vehicle, wherein the swath has a length and a width;
- computer usable program code for presenting a two dimensional elevation view on the vehicle display, wherein a vertical axis of the two dimensional elevation view represents a highest elevation along the width of the swath for a particular point along the length of the swath;
- computer usable program code for updating the width of the swath in response to vehicle movement to form an updated swath width;
- and
- computer usable program code for updating the two dimensional elevation view on the vehicle display using the updated swath width.
An apparatus comprising:
- a bus;
- a communications unit connected to the bus;
- a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device includes computer usable program code;
- and
- a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program to identify a swath representing an area ahead of a vehicle, wherein the swath has a length and a width;
- present a two dimensional elevation view on a vehicle display, wherein a vertical axis of the two dimensional elevation view represents a highest elevation along the width of the swath for a particular point along the length of the swath;
- update the width of the swath in response to vehicle movement to form an updated swath width;
- and update the two dimensional elevation view on the vehicle display using the updated swath width.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.