Flight training and synthetic flight simulation system and method

• US 7,848,698 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2006
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appareo Systems LLC (AGCO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Appareo Systems LLC (AGCO Corporation)
• Inventors: Batcheller, Barry Douglas, Ohlsen, Tyler Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai; Xuan M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Utama; Robert J
• Application Number:
  US11/327,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20070020588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 434/30, 434/32, 434/33, 434/35, 434/47
• US Class Current: 434/2
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/165 Control of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/08 for teaching control of aircraft, e.g. Link trainer

Abstract

A low-cost training and synthetic visualization system and method directed to improving an individual'"'"'s airborne performance in general aviation, skydiving, and other aerial applications. The system is comprised of a self-contained mobile sensor and data storage device for recording the travel path, orientation, and forces acting upon an object as it moves through space, a desktop graphics software program for creating a playback of the recorded data on a three-dimensional representation of the environment through which the object moved, a means of linking the sensor and data storage device to the software program for the purpose of exchanging information, and a centralized data storage and retrieval system designed to accept, assimilate and redistribute the recorded data.

Claims

1. A method of detecting, recording, coprocessing and simultaneously displaying aircraft flight data and corresponding terrain data, which method comprises the steps of:

providing a self-contained mobile data recording unit (MDRU) on the aircraft;

providing an inertial measurement sensor (IMS) on the aircraft;

continuously sensing orientation of the aircraft with said IMS and generating orientation signals representing its orientation;

providing a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position detector on the aircraft;

generating signals representative of the 3-D GNSS-based position in space of said aircraft with said position detector;

providing said MDRU with an MDRU microprocessor;

connecting said MDRU microprocessor to and receiving input signals from said IMS and said GNSS position detector;

gathering with said MDRU microprocessor flight data including navigation and flight information captured by said IMU, said position detector and said MDRU;

providing said MDRU with a computer readable media and storing said navigation and flight information on said MDRU computer readable media;

providing a secondary computer system with a display device;

downloading said navigational and flight information from said MDRU computer readable media to said secondary computer system;

computing with said secondary computer system a 3-D recreation of a flight path of the aircraft based on said navigational and flight information;

computing with said secondary computer system a digital terrain model for an area of the Earth'"'"'s surface including at least a portion of the flight path;

installing and executing a graphics software engine on said secondary computer system;

generating with said graphics software engine and displaying with said display device a 3-D display of said 3-D recreation including;

said terrain model;

a representation of the aircraft superimposed on the terrain model; and

a data ribbon representing the flight path superimposed on the terrain model;

computing altitude readings from said navigational and flight information at pre-defined intervals along the flight path;

using said altitude readings and said navigational and flight information to compute a 3-D display comprising a vertical synthetic flight wall extending downwardly from said flight path data ribbon to a ground level on said terrain model;

subdividing said flight wall graphically into a vertically-oriented checkerboard configuration comprising multiple rectangular segments separated by multiple, horizontally-spaced vertical striations each representing a pre-defined horizontal distance and multiple, vertically-stacked horizontal striations each representing a pre-defined vertical distance, said pre-defined vertical and horizontal distances corresponding to altitude and distance of travel along said flight path respectively;

dynamically displaying in 3-D on said display device with said graphics software engine said flight wall including said vertical and horizontal striations below said flight path data ribbon;

dynamically displaying in 3-D on said display device with said graphics software engine the progress along said flight path of the aircraft on top of said flight wall and over said terrain model; and

dynamically displaying aircraft altitudes at respective rectangular segments along said flight path.

2. The method of claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

generating with said graphics software engine and displaying with said display device in said 3-D display a tabulated, digital readout of said navigational and flight information including latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, heading, pitch and roll at the corresponding point in said 3-D recreation.

3. The method of claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

generating with said graphics software engine and displaying with said display device in said 3-D display a plurality of simulated aircraft flight instruments each displaying respective flight data at the corresponding point in said 3-D recreation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said IMS includes yaw, pitch and roll sensors, which method includes the additional steps of:

continuously sensing 3-D orientation of the aircraft with said IMS;

generating orientation signals with said IMS corresponding to the yaw, pitch and roll of the aircraft; and

outputting said orientation signals from said IMS as input to said MDRU.

5. The method of claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

gathering weather pattern information;

creating with said graphics software engine a display comprising a graphical representation of said weather pattern information; and

displaying with said display device said graphical representation of said weather pattern information superimposed on said 3-D recreation.

6. The method of claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

gathering special airspace type information;

creating with said graphics software engine a display comprising a graphical representation of said special airspace type; and

displaying with said display device said graphical representation of said special airspace type superimposed on said 3-D recreation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said secondary computer system comprises a desktop computer and said method includes the additional step of:

post-processing said navigational and flight information after a flight is completed.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said secondary computer system comprises a handheld device and said method includes the additional step of:

processing in real time during said flight said navigational and flight information and displaying said 3-D recreation on said handheld device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said aircraft representation comprises a primary aircraft model, which method includes the additional steps of:

generating with said secondary computer system a secondary ghost image model of the aircraft;

computing with said secondary computer system an ideal flight path corresponding to locations of said secondary ghost image aircraft model;

superimposing on said 3-D display said secondary ghost image model in relation to said primary aircraft image model using said graphics software engine; and

displaying with said display device discrepancies between said ideal flight path and the actual flight path by simultaneously and dynamically displaying the positions of said primary and secondary aircraft image models relative to each other and the flight wall.