Occlusion server for an integrated live and simulation environment for an aircraft

• US 8,986,011 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2010
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Sowadski, Clifford B., Lechner, Robert James
• Primary Examiner(s): Musselman, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US12/880,701
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• Field of Search: 434 29- 71, 701/448, 345/426
• US Class Current: 434/66
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/301 by computer-processed or -generated image

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating visible objects not blocked by other objects in a simulation during training with aircraft. A position for each aircraft in a number of aircraft is identified for which objects that block the fields of view for each aircraft are to be identified to form a number of positions for the number of aircraft. Any object in the simulation that blocks a portion of a field of view for each aircraft at the position for each aircraft is identified to form a number of objects. Simulation data is created for a number of visible objects not blocked by the number of objects in the simulation that has been identified as blocking the portion of the field of view for each aircraft in the number of aircraft. The simulation data is sent to each aircraft in the number of aircraft.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface that communicates with a platform; and

a computer system, located remotely from the platform, that;

generates constructive data;

receives ownship data from the platform;

identifies a field of view for the platform, the field of view comprising an extent of what can be detected by a sensor system for the platform;

identifies a position for the platform;

identifies, using at least one of;

virtual data, and constructive data, in the computer system, any object in a simulation that occludes a portion of the field of view, to form a number of objects;

creates simulation data for each simulation object in the simulation whose detection by the sensor would not be blocked by the number of objects, to form a number of visible objects, each simulation object comprising at least one of;

a virtual object, and a constructive object; and

sends the simulation data to the platform through the network interface such that processing resources on the platform load simulation object data into an object database on the platform such that the number of visible objects appear on a display system in the platform.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in identifying the position for each platform, the computer system:

monitors for information sent from each aircraft, wherein the information includes the position of each aircraft; and

identifies the position for each platform using the information sent from each aircraft.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in being configured to identify the any object in the simulation that blocks the portion of the field of view, the computer system:

identifies the field of view for the platform;

identifies objects in the simulation; and

determines whether any object in the objects identified in the simulation blocks the field of view for the platform at the position for the platform based on a heading of the platform.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the number of visible objects comprises at least one of:

the any object in the objects identified blocking the portion of the field of view, and a visible object not in the portion of the field of view.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein in being configured to identify the field of view, the computer system:

identifies the field of view for the platform using a model of the platform.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the simulation data comprises an identification of a visible object and a position of the visible object.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing resources on the platform receive the simulation data, process the simulation data using a number of sensor models to formulate simulator sensor data, and process the simulator sensor data to produce simulation object data used to present the number of visible objects with live sensor data on the display.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer system is an occlusion server computer, and the processing resources comprise a radar report manager that receives unpacked live radar data and unpacked simulation data and identifies simulation object data and live object data for storage in the object database and then stores simulation object data and live object data in object database.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

a network server computer configured to communicate with each aircraft using a wireless communications link; and

a gateway configured to provide communications between the network server computer and the occlusion server computer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise at least one of terrain, a building, a tree, a ridge, a mountain, and another platform.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a ground based server positioned remote from the platform;

and

the processing resources comprise a request arbitrator that receives a request based upon a selected constructive object and the request arbitrator determines whether this request should be sent to radar system based on a set of rules and/or a set of priorities for operations performed by radar system such that when the request has a lower priority than an operation being performed by a radar model on the platform, the request is not sent to the radar model until the completion of the operation.

12. A method for overcoming a limitation in processing resources on a platform that are insufficient to generate a number of visible objects, and indicating simulation sensor data for a constructive object on a display on the platform in a simulation during training, the method comprising:

receiving, in a computer remote from the platform, ownship data from the platform and a position data regarding the platform;

identifying a field of view for the platform, the field of view comprising an extent of what can be detected by a sensor system of the platform;

identifying;

a position of the platform based on the ownship data;

identifying, using an object identification process in an occlusion server in the computer remote from the platform, any object in the simulation that occludes a portion of the field of view, to form a number of objects;

creating simulation data, using the occlusion server, for objects in the simulation not blocked by the number of objects, to form the number of visible objects; and

sending the simulation data from the server to the platform, such that the processing resources on the platform load simulation object data into an object database on the platform such that the number of visible objects appear on a display system in the platform.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of identifying the position for the platform comprises:

monitoring for information sent from the platform, wherein the information includes the position of the platform.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of identifying the any object in the simulation that blocks the portion of the field of view for the platform comprises:

identifying the field of view for the platform;

identifying objects in the simulation; and

determining whether the any object identified in the simulation occludes the field of view for the platform at the position for the platform based on a heading of the platform.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of creating the simulation data for the number of visible objects comprises:

identifying the number of visible objects from the objects identified in the simulation, wherein the number of visible objects comprises at least one of the any object in the objects identified blocking the portion of the field of view and a visible object not in the portion of the field of view.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of identifying the field of view comprises:

identifying the field of view using a model of the platform; and

such that the processing resources unpack live radar data from a map mode of a radar system, and unpack object position data translated from simulation data and unpack translated data from a radar warning receiver model, such that the number of visible objects appear on a display system in the platform.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the simulation data comprises an identification of a visible object and a position of the visible object.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein a computer system associated with the platform receives the simulation data, generates simulation sensor data using the simulation data, and presents the simulation sensor data with live sensor data on the display system.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the objects comprise at least one of terrain, a building, a tree, a ridge, a mountain, and another platform.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface that communicates with a number of platforms; and

a computer system comprising a ground based occlusion server that;

receives ownship data from each platform in the number of platforms, the ownship data comprising an identification of each platform in the number of platforms and a position data regarding each platform in the number of platforms;

identifies a field of view for each platform in the number of platforms, the field of view comprising an extent of what can be detected by a sensor system for each platform respectively;

identifies a position for each platform in the number of platforms for which objects that occlude fields of view are to be identified, the position based on the ownship data for each platform respectively;

identifies any object in a simulation that occludes a portion of the field of view for any platform in the number of platforms to form a number of objects;

creates simulation data for a number of visible objects in the simulation such that the number of visible objects comprise constructive objects not occluded from the field of view for each platform respectively by the number of objects;

processes the simulation data to create simulation sensor data for each platform respectively; and

sends the simulation sensor data to each platform respectively such that each platform receives the respective simulation sensor data such that processing resources on each platform respectively load the simulation sensor data into an object database on the platform such that the number of visible objects appear on a display system in the platform.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein in being configured to identify the position for each platform in the number of platforms for which the objects that block the fields of view are to be identified to form a number of positions for the number of platforms, the computer system is configured to:

monitor for information sent from each platform, wherein the information includes the position of each platform; and

identify the position for each platform for which the objects that block the fields of view are to be identified to form the number of positions for the number of platforms using the information sent from each platform.