Enhanced flight vision system for enhancing approach runway signatures
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorGang He
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are provided for visually enhancing approach runway signatures on en Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS). The EFVS may retrieve a location and an approach course for a runway, display, on the EFVS, a representation of the runway and the approach course for the runway relative to a position of the aircraft, define an area, along the approach course and before a first end of the runway, where the approach runway signature should be located, and visually enhance, on the EFVS, the defined area.
Claims16
A method for visually enhancing an approach runway signature comprising a plurality of runway lights arranged in a predefined pattern on an enhanced flight vision system on an aircraft, comprising:
- retrieving a location and an approach course for a runway;
- displaying, on the enhanced flight vision system, a representation of the runway relative to a position of the aircraft;
- defining an area, along the approach course and before a first end of the runway, where the approach runway signature should be located;
- capturing, by an imaging device, an image of the defined area;
- displaying, on the enhanced flight vision system, the captured image relative to a position of the aircraft and at the first end of the representation of the runway displayed on the enhanced light vision system;
- and
- visually enhancing, on the enhanced flight vision system, the plurality of runway lights of the approach runway signature in the captured image, wherein the visually enhancing comprises suppressing noise not associated with the runway lights of the approach runway signature in the defined area.
An Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) for an aircraft, comprising:
- a database storing a location of a runway and an approach course for the runway;
- a processor configured to define an area, along the approach course and before a first end of the runway, where an approach runway signature comprising a plurality of runway lights arranged in a predefined pattern should be located;
- a display;
- and
- an imaging device to capture at least one image including the defined area,
- wherein the processor is further configured to:
- display, on the display, the approach course for the runway and a representation of the runway relative to a current position of the aircraft,
- perform image processing on the at least one captured image including, enhancing the plurality of runway lights of the approach runway signature in the defined area within the at least one captured image and suppressing noise not associated with the runway lights of the approach runway signature in the defined area of the captured image, and
- display, on the display, the at least one captured image with the enhanced defined area on the display over the representation of the runway and relative to the current position of the aircraft.
A method for visually enhancing an approach runway signature comprising a plurality of runway lights in a predefined pattern on an enhanced flight vision system on an aircraft, comprising:
- displaying, on the enhanced flight vision system, a synthetic perspective view of terrain in front of the aircraft;
- capturing an image, using an infrared camera, of actual terrain in front of the aircraft;
- overlaying, on the displayed synthetic perspective view, the captured image;
- retrieving a location and an approach course for a runway;
- overlaying, on the captured image, a representation of the runway and the approach course for the runway relative to a position of the aircraft;
- defining an area, along the approach course and before a first end of the runway, where the approach runway signature should be located;
- and
- visually enhancing the plurality of runway lights of the approach runway signature within the defined area on the captured image, wherein the visually enhancing comprises suppressing noise not associated with the runway lights of the approach runway signature in the defined area in the defined area on the captured image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.