Abstract: A method for providing a display on a head-worn display includes receiving imagery from one or more sensors configured to capture details of an environment surrounding an aircraft, receiving a current gaze of a user of the head-worn display, and processing the imagery. Processing the imagery comprises identifying one or more attributes of the imagery. The method further includes identifying at least two layers of the imagery. At least one of the at least two layers has a different resolution than another layer. The method further includes determining a priority of each of the at least two layers based on the one or more attributes and the current gaze of the user. The method further includes transmitting one or more of the at least two layers to the head-worn display based on the determined priority of the layers.

Abstract: A system includes a sensor configured to be located on an exterior of a vehicle, a processing circuit, and a display device. The sensor is configured to detect a surface condition of a surface and output an indication of the surface condition. The processing circuit is configured to receive the indication from the sensor and generate a visualization based on the indication. The display device is configured to display the visualization.

Abstract: A head wearable display device, a method, and a system. The head wearable display device may include a visor portion implemented as a pupil-expanding waveguide, a processor, an image illumination source communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to output optical signals, an optical pathway, and column injectors implemented in and along the optical pathway. Each of the column injectors may be associated with a pixel column. Each of the column injectors may be configured to be in a pass-through state or a deflect state. When a given column injector is in the pass-through state, the given column injector may allow optical signals to pass through the given column injector. When a particular column injector is in the deflect state, the particular column injector may be configured to deflect the optical signals into the visor portion causing a column of pixels to display in the visor portion.

Abstract: A system and related method for managing images generated by a combined vision system (CVS) and displayed by an aircraft via an onboard PFD HDD, HUD, or HWD includes combining sensor image streams of an enhanced vision system (EVS) with navigation and terrain symbology generated by a synthetic vision system (SVS) to optimize the useful information displayed at any given point. Areas corresponding to prescribed visual references (approach lighting, runways and runway markers) that must be identified via pure EVS under certain conditions may be excluded from the SVS visual channels so that only a pure EVS channel of the excluded areas is displayed. The CVS may include edge filtering to remove unimportant terrain features and emphasize ridgelines. The CVS may display a full field of view for all selected visual channels or sensors, and optionally indicate where fields of view overlap.

Abstract: A system includes a database and a representation engine. The database stores point cloud data including an indication of elevation of terrain. The representation engine is configured to determine a plurality of regions associated with the point cloud data. The representation engine is configured to identify, for each of the plurality of regions, a first point cloud data point having an elevation that is a local maximum for the corresponding region. The representation engine is configured to calculate, for a plurality of viewpoints corresponding to the point cloud data, a series of vectors connecting first point cloud data points located within a distance threshold of a search distance from each viewpoint. The representation engine is configured to output a terrain database storing the plurality of viewpoints associated with the corresponding series of vectors.

Abstract: A modulated lighting infrastructure for a runway approach lighting system includes a network of LED emitters, emitting primarily in the visible spectral band, driven by control logic to emit brief high-frequency pulses of energy at peak brightness for a fraction of their duty cycle while emitting no energy for the remainder of the duty cycle. While the pulsed emissions of the approach lighting system are so brief as to appear normal to pilots (as the average intensity is unchanged), an onboard detection system can integrate a camera for short bursts at a high frame rate to detect images of the emitted high-frequency pulses against competing atmospheric and background illumination and display the detected images to the pilot. The emitter network may include additional emitters configured to emit energy in infrared and other spectral ranges for detection by onboard enhanced vision systems.

Abstract: An apparatus monitors position for an aircraft. The aircraft includes a display, a position system, a vision system and a database comprising terrain data associated with an environment at a location of the aircraft. The apparatus includes a monitoring processor configured to perform character recognition or structure recognition on the image data to identify a structure or a character in the image data, correlate a position of the structure or character in the environment using a position from the position system and the terrain data, and cause the display to provide a confirmation in response to the position of the structure or character in the terrain data matches the position of the structure or character in the image data.

Abstract: An in aircraft computer renders graphical representations of airfield range marker extensions to a runway extended centerline, even when the runway extended centerline is not rendered. Crossbars of the runway extended centerline are extended as arc segments to the center of the display with chevrons indicating the relative location of the airfield. Distance marker billboards are replicated at the end of the extended arc segments. As the aircraft approaches the airfield, crossbars closer to the airfield are extended. Vertical markers maintain billboards corresponding to range rings around an airfield in a visually prominent location, even when the proximal portion of such range ring is not visible in the display.

Abstract: A head worn display system (e.g., helmet mounted (HMD) display system, and an eye wear mounted display system,) can include a combiner, a head position sensor and a computer. The computer provides symbology in response to first sensor input values associated with the head position. The symbology can be conformal with a real world scene. A monitoring system includes a redundant head position sensor for providing second sensor input values associated with head position. The computer monitors for positional accuracy of the symbology by comparing symbology calculated using the first and second input sensor values or by using an inverse function to compare sensor values.

Abstract: An apparatus provides a virtual display in an environment for various applications including avionic, naval, military, remote control, medical and other applications. The apparatus can be a near eye display, such as, a head up display (HUD) or head worn display (e.g., helmet mounted display (HMD), glasses-based, goggle-based, visor-based, etc.). The near eye display can include a combiner for providing one or more of: an image for a failed display, an image between two or more head down displays, or an image to direct attention to warnings or locations in the field-of-view of the combiner.

Abstract: A method for providing a display on a head-worn display includes receiving imagery from one or more sensors configured to capture details of an environment surrounding an aircraft, receiving a current gaze of a user of the head-worn display, and processing the imagery. Processing the imagery comprises identifying one or more attributes of the imagery. The method further includes identifying at least two layers of the imagery. At least one of the at least two layers has a different resolution than another layer. The method further includes determining a priority of each of the at least two layers based on the one or more attributes and the current gaze of the user. The method further includes transmitting one or more of the at least two layers to the head-worn display based on the determined priority of the layers.

Abstract: Present novel and non-trivial system, device, and method for generating a steering command for at least one forward-looking image capture device are disclosed. The steering command generating system is comprised of a source of navigation data, an avionics system processor (“ASP”) configured to receive the navigation data representative of a wind correction angle (“WCA”); generate steering data as a function of at least the navigation data and representative of a steering command commensurate to an angular difference; and provide the steering data to one or more forward-looking image capture device(s). In another embodiment, the ASP may further receive motion tracking data representative of a head position angular measurement and include the motion tracking data in the function for generating steering data. The angular difference may correspond to the WCA or the measurement of a head position angle.

Abstract: An apparatus is for use with an aircraft radar system having a radar antenna. The apparatus comprises processing electronics are configured to receive radar data associated with the radar antenna of the system. The processing electronics are also configured to detect periodic data associated with runway lights in the radar data.

Abstract: An enhanced vision system can be used on a vehicle such as an aircraft. The vision system includes a lens, a sensor array and a chromic layer disposed between the lens and the sensor array. A method can protect a focal plane array associated with an enhanced vision or other sensor from solar exposure. The method includes providing a focal plane sensor array and providing at least one photochromic layer in front of the focal plane array.

Abstract: A present novel and non-trivial system, device, and method for reducing image generating latency of an image presented on a display unit are disclosed. An image processing unit (“IPU”) may receive the image data set; receive (1) first navigation data of a first time from which second navigation data of the second time is determined or (2) second navigation data of a second time; receive third navigation data of the second time; compare the second navigation data with the third navigation data; and select a subset of the image data set in response to the comparison. Differences arising from the comparison, if any, may be used in determining the location and/or rotation of a cropping frame that selects the subset and forms a cropped image which is then provided to a display system, whereby the image represented in the subset is presented to the viewer.

Abstract: A system and method can provide an enhanced or other sensed image on a display. The system and method can sense an environment using an enhanced vision sensor or other sensor and provide an enhanced vision image or other image in response to data from the enhanced vision sensor. The enhanced vision or other vision system adjusts the sensing operation when an aircraft light is on to reduce back scatter effects.

Abstract: A system, device, and method for determining the integrity of sensor-based image(s) are disclosed. The integrity determination system may include one or more sources of passive sensor-based image data, one or more sources of an active sensor-based image data, and an image processing unit (“IPU”). The IPU may receive passive sensor-based image data; receive active sensor-based image data; and (1) determine the integrity of at least the passive sensor-based image data by comparison of the passive sensor-based image data with the active sensor-based image data, and/or (2) combine the passive sensor-based image data with the active sensor-based image data to produce third image data from which a pilot may manually determine the integrity of the first image data.

Abstract: A method or apparatus can be used with an aircraft or other vehicle. The apparatus can include or the method can use processing electronics configured to receive weather and airfield data associated with a weather report and configured to: 1. adjust at least one operational parameter of the vision system in response to the received weather report and airfield data; 2. adjust a display of an image derived from vision system data from vision system and synthetic vision data from a synthetic vision system in response to the data associated with the weather report detect; or 3. perform both operations 1 and 2.

Abstract: A method or apparatus can be used with an aircraft or other vehicle. The apparatus can include or the method can use processing electronics configured to receive weather and airfield data associated with a weather report and configured to: 1. adjust at least one operational parameter of the vision system in response to the received weather report and airfield data; 2. adjust a display of an image derived from vision system data from vision system and synthetic vision data from a synthetic vision system in response to the data associated with the weather report detect; or 3. perform both operations 1 and 2.

Abstract: An apparatus provides a virtual display in an environment for various applications including avionic, naval, military, remote control, medical and other applications. The apparatus can be a head up display (HUD) or head worn display (e.g., helmet mounted display (HMD) and can include image sources disposed at a respective image source position, and a combiner detached from the image sources. The combiner is movable to a respective combiner position for receiving light from a respective image source of the image sources. The combiner provides an image from the respective image source to a user.