Debriefing systems and methods for retrieving and presenting multiple datastreams with time indication marks in time synchronism

• US 6,370,457 B1
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CAE Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Training Innovations Group LLC
• Inventors: Nemeth, Louis G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/142,784
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/29, 701/14, 701/24, 701/25, 701/28, 340/945, 340/973, 340/825.06, 340/825.15, 434/30, 434/35, 434/38, 434/59, 348/121, 348/123, 703/8, 700/17, 700/83
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/165 Control of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/003 for military purposes and tactics
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/08 for teaching control of aircraft, e.g. Link trainer
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/165 Condition of cabin, cockpit or pilot's accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/24 including display or recording of simulated flight path

Abstract

Event debriefing systems and methods are provided for recording a plurality of datastreams related to an event. An observer of the event may create time indication marks that facilitate recalling, during debriefing, what transpired at any particular point in time during the event. The recorded datastreams may be retrieved and presented beginning at marked time indications and continued chronologically thereafter in time synchronism.

Claims

1. An event debriefing system (10) comprising means (60) for recording a plurality of datastreams related to an event which occurs over an extended time period, each datastream including chronological information related to at least one aspect of the event over the extended time period, wherein the event debriefing system (10) is characterized by and further comprises:

categorized marking means (50), operating concurrent with said recording means (60), for marking discrete times during the extended time period at which items of interest occur, and for associating a category with each of the marked times based upon characteristics of the respective item; and

presenting means (70), responsive to said marking means (50) and to the selection of a respective category, for retrieving information from said recorded datastreams based upon the marked times in the selected category, and for presenting the retrieved information from the recorded datastreams such that those portions of the event associated with the selected category are presented.

2. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1 further comprising an aircraft flight simulator (20) for simulating aircraft flight such that the event is a simulated aircraft flight.

3. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1 for use in simulating land-based vehicle operations.

4. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1 for use in monitoring a manufacturing facility.

5. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1, wherein said associated category includes a category related to actions of human participants in said event.

6. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1, wherein said associated category includes a category related to technical parameters of said event.

7. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1, wherein said synchronized presenting means (70) comprises means for retrieving information from said datastreams beginning at the marked time and continuing chronologically thereafter, and for presenting the retrieved information from the datastreams in time synchronism.

8. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1, wherein said recording means (60) comprises:

video recording means (24) for producing a video datastream of actions of event participants;

audio recording means (24) for producing an audio datastream of audible communications of event participants; and

instrumentation recording means for producing an instrumentation datastream from various event monitoring instruments.

9. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 8 wherein said synchronized presenting means (70) comprises a display (72) having a plurality of zones, and wherein said video and instrumentation datastreams are presented in a respective one of said plurality of zones in time synchronism.

10. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 9 wherein said synchronized presenting means (70) comprises means for performing said audio datastream with said displayed video and instrumentation datastreams in time synchronism.

11. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 10 wherein said performing means further comprises voice recognition means for selectively locating portions of said audio datastream.

12. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1 wherein said marking means (50) is responsive to user identification of a time during said extended time period.

13. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 1, wherein said synchronized presenting means (70) includes means (75) for displaying the appearance of selected instrumentation.

14. An event debriefing system (10) comprising means (60) for recording a plurality of datastreams related to an event which occurs over an extended time period, each datastream including chronological information related to at least one aspect of the event over the extended time period, wherein the event debriefing system (10) is characterized by and further comprises:

automatic marking means (50), for automatically marking a time during the extended time period at which at least one of said aspects meets predetermined criteria, and

presenting means (70), responsive to said automatic marking means, for retrieving information from said recorded datastreams based upon the automatically marked time, and for presenting the retrieved information from the recorded datastreams such that a portion of the event during which at least one of the aspects meets predetermined criteria is displayed.

15. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 14 further comprising an aircraft flight simulator (20) for simulating aircraft flight such that the event is a simulated aircraft flight.

16. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 14 for use in simulating land-based vehicle operations.

17. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 14 for use in monitoring a manufacturing facility.

18. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 14 wherein said synchronized presenting means (70) comprises means for retrieving information from said datastreams beginning at the marked time and continuing chronologically thereafter, and for presenting the retrieved information from the datastreams in time synchronism.

19. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 14 wherein said recording means (60) comprises:

video recording means (24) for producing a video datastream of actions of event participants;

audio recording means (24) for producing an audio datastream of audible communications of event participants; and

instrumentation recording means for producing an instrumentation datastream from various event monitoring instruments.

20. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 19 wherein said synchronized presenting means (70) comprises a display (72) having a plurality of zones, and wherein said video and instrumentation datastreams are presented in a respective one of said plurality of zones in time synchronism.

21. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 20 wherein said synchronized presenting means (70) comprises means for performing said audio datastream with said displayed video and instrumentation datastreams in time synchronism.

22. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 14 further comprising categorized marking means (50) for marking time during the extended time period and for associating a category with the marked times.

23. An event debriefing system (10) according to claim 14, wherein said synchronized presenting means (70) includes means (75) for displaying the appearance of selected instrumentation.

24. A method of event debriefing comprising recording (100) a plurality of datastreams related to an event which occurs over an extended time period, each datastream including chronological information related to at least one aspect of the event over the extended time period, wherein the method of event debriefing is characterized by the further steps of:

identifying discrete times during the event at which items of interest occur;

marking (200) those discrete times during said step of recording the plurality of datastreams at which items of interest occur; and

retrieving (300) information from said recorded datastreams based upon the marked times, and presenting the retrieved information from the datastreams in time synchronism such that selected portions of the event are displayed.

25. A method of event debriefing according to claim 24 wherein said marking step (200) comprises automatically marking (212) those discrete times during said step (100) of recording the plurality of datastreams at which at least one of the aspects meets predetermined criteria such that those portions of the event during which at least one of the aspects meets predetermined criteria can be displayed.

26. A method of event debriefing according to claim 24, wherein said step (200) of marking times comprises:

marking discrete times during the extended time period at which items of interest occur;

associating (208) a category with each of the marked times based upon characteristics of the respective item; and

retrieving information from said recorded datastreams based upon the marked times in a selected category, and presenting the retrieved information from the recorded datastreams such that those portions of the event associated with the selected category are presented.

27. A method of event debriefing according to claim 26, wherein said step (208) of associating a category includes associating a category related to actions of human participants in said event with the marked times.

28. A method of event debriefing according to claim 26, wherein said step (208) of associating a category includes associating a category related to technical parameters of said event.

29. A method of event debriefing according to claim 24 further comprising a step of simulating aircraft flight such that the event is a simulated aircraft flight.

30. A method of event debriefing according to claim 24 for use in simulating land-based vehicle operations.

31. A method of event debriefing according to claim 24 for use in monitoring a manufacturing facility.

32. A method of event debriefing according to claim 24 wherein said step (300) of retrieving information from said datastreams based upon the marked time comprises retrieving information from said datastreams beginning at the marked time and continuing chronologically thereafter, and presenting (306) the retrieved information from the datastreams in time synchronism.

33. A method of event debriefing according to claim 24 wherein said step (100) of recording a plurality of datastreams related to an event comprises:

producing a video datastream of actions of event participants;

producing an audio datastream of audible communications of event participants; and

producing an instrumentation datastream from various event monitoring instruments.

34. A method of event debriefing, according to claim 33 wherein said step (300) of retrieving and presenting the retrieved information comprises displaying said video and instrumentation datastreams in a respective one of a plurality of display zones in time synchronism.

35. A method of event debriefing according to claim 34, further comprising the step of performing said audio datastream with said displayed video and instrumentation datastreams in time synchronism.

36. A method of event debriefing according to claim 35 wherein said performing step further comprises the step of selectively locating voice portions of said audio datastream.