Method and apparatus for automatically collecting terrain source data for display during flight simulation

• US 6,910,892 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2003
• Issued: 06/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Lechner, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harris, Chanda L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John
• Application Number:
  US10/408,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20030190589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 434/37, 434/47, 434/43, 434/30, 434/38, 701/120, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 434/43
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/085 Special purpose teaching, e.g. alighting on water, aerial photography

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for automatically generating a terrain model for display during a simulated flight along a predefined mission route. The apparatus includes a mission profiler that automatically determines the area containing the mission route for which the terrain source data is required and the respective resolution of different regions within the area. The apparatus also includes an apparatus for automatically collecting the terrain source data including a search engine for automatically searching electronic collections of terrain source data to identify terrain source data covering the area containing the mission route. The apparatus also includes an image engine for processing the terrain source data into one or more predefined formats and a terrain engine for automatically compiling the processed data to create a terrain model for display during flight simulation.

Claims

1. A program product embodied in a computer readable medium for automatically collecting terrain source data for display during flight simulation comprising:

an input for receiving data defining an area containing a mission route for which terrain source data is required; and

a search engine for automatically searching a plurality of electronic collections of terrain source data to identify terrain source data covering the area containing the mission route, wherein said search engine is capable of identifying terrain source data from at least two alternative electronic collections of terrain source data that represents a common region of the area containing the mission route, and wherein said search engine is further capable of selecting the terrain source data from one of the plurality of alternative electronic collections of terrain source data that is most representative of anticipated flight conditions along the mission route to represent the common region of the area containing the mission route; and

wherein the search engine is capable of accessing a memory device that stores the terrain source data covering the area containing the mission route identified by the search engine to facilitate display during flight simulation.

2. A program product embodied in a computer readable medium according to claim 1 wherein said memory device stores terrain source data from prior mission routes.

3. A program product embodied in a computer readable medium according to claim 2 wherein said search engine compares terrain source data obtained from an electronic collection of terrain source data with terrain source data from prior mission routes to determine the terrain source data that is most representative of anticipated flight conditions along the mission route.

4. A program product embodied in a computer readable medium according to claim 3 wherein said search engine obtains information representative of the terrain source data that is obtainable from the electronic collection of terrain source data, wherein said search engine obtains the terrain source data from the electronic collection of terrain source data that is most representative of the anticipated flight conditions along the mission route than terrain source data from prior mission routes, and wherein said memory device stores the terrain source data obtained from the electronic collection.

5. A program product embodied in a computer readable medium according to claim 4 wherein said memory device comprising:

a first memory device for storing the information representative of the terrain source data; and

a second memory device for storing the terrain source data.

6. A program product embodied in a computer readable medium according to claim 1 wherein said search engine is further capable of selecting the terrain source data from the electronic collection of terrain source data that has been captured most recently as the terrain source data that is most representative of the anticipated flight conditions along the mission route.

7. A program product embodied in a computer readable medium according to claim 1 wherein said search engine is further capable of selecting the terrain source data from the electronic collection of terrain source data that has the highest quality as the terrain source data that is most representative of the anticipated flight conditions along the mission route.

8. A method for automatically collecting terrain source data for display during flight simulation, the method comprising:

receiving data defining an area containing a mission route for which terrain source data is required;

automatically searching a plurality of electronic collections of terrain source data to identify terrain source data covering the area containing the mission route, wherein automatically searching the plurality of electronic collections of terrain source data comprises identifying terrain source data from at least two alternative electronic collections of terrain source data that represents a common region of the area containing the mission route, and thereafter selecting the terrain source data from one of the plurality of alternative electronic collections of terrain source data that is most representative of anticipated flight conditions along the mission route to represent the common region of the area containing the mission route; and

storing the terrain source data covering the area containing the mission route identified by the search engine to facilitate display during flight simulation.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein storing the terrain source data comprises storing terrain source data from prior mission routes.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein automatically searching the plurality of electronic collection of terrain source data comprises comparing terrain source data obtained from an electronic collection of terrain source data with terrain source data from prior mission routes to determine the terrain source data that is most representative of anticipated flight conditions along the mission route.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein automatically searching the plurality of electronic collections of terrain source data further comprises obtaining information representative of the terrain source data that is obtainable from the electionic collection of terrain source data, and obtaining the terrain source data from the electronic collection of terrain source data that is most representative of the anticipated flight conditions along the mission route and wherein storing the terrain source data comprises storing the terrain source data obtained from the electronic collection.

12. A method according to claim 8 wherein selecting the terrain source data further comprises selecting the terrain source data from the electronic collection of terrain source data that has been captured moat recently as the terrain source data that is most representative of the anticipated flight conditions along the mission route.

13. A method according to claim 8 wherein selecting the terrain source data further comprises selecting the terrain source data from the electronic collection of terrain source data that has the highest quality as the terrain source data that is most representive of the anticipated flight conditions along the mission route.