Simulator system for simulating weather

• US 9,583,020 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Planz, Brian E., Kronfeld, Kevin M., Breiholz, Arlen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Sam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Humphrey, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/691,581
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 434/28, 434/29, 434/30, 434 35- 52, 702/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/165 Control of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/16 Ambient or aircraft conditions simulated or indicated by instrument or alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/206 for in-flight condition
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/301 by computer-processed or -generated image

Abstract

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method of simulating a weather pattern for use in a simulator environment. The method includes receiving an input corresponding to a desired weather event and determining a set of weather parameters pertaining to the desired weather event. The method further includes searching a weather event database for a matching weather event. The weather event database includes weather data for a plurality of weather events. The method includes identifying the matching weather event. The matching weather event includes at least a portion of the set of weather parameters pertaining to the desired weather event. The method includes receiving weather data corresponding to the matching weather event. The method further includes creating a model of the matching weather event.

Claims

1. A method of simulating a weather pattern for use in a flight simulator comprising a cockpit having a plurality of flight control inputs, the cockpit comprising a seat, a dashboard, and an electronic display in the dashboard, the method comprising:

receiving, at the flight simulator, an input of a weather forecast for a desired simulated route, wherein the weather forecast is a prediction, made with respect to presently occurring weather events, of weather events in the future;

determining, by the flight simulator, a set of weather parameters pertaining to the weather forecast, wherein the weather parameters comprise at least a storm top height, the storm cell severity, turbulence parameters, rate of convective growth or decay of a storm, a number of storm cells, a lightning density, or storm structural considerations, wherein the weather parameters are determined from the weather forecast;

searching, by the flight simulator, a weather event database stored in an electronic, optical, or magnetic memory for a matching weather event using an electronic processor, and the set of weather parameters relating to the weather forecast, wherein the weather event database includes weather data for a plurality of weather events and weather characteristics associated with each of the weather events;

identifying, by the simulator, the matching weather event, the matching weather event including at least a portion of the set of the weather characteristics matching the set of weather parameters pertaining to the weather forecast;

receiving, at the simulator, weather data corresponding to the matching weather event;

creating;

by the simulator, a model of the matching weather event using the weather data;

simulating a flight of an aircraft through the model including creating simulated display data based the position of the aircraft within the model;

receiving, at the simulator, flight control signals from the flight control inputs wherein the flight control signals control the simulated flight of the aircraft;

and providing a visual on the electronic display of the cockpit based upon the simulated display data,

updating the visual on the electronic display based on changes to the simulated display data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the weather data includes radar data associated with a first time interval, wherein the radar data is interpolated for times within the first time interval.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising simulating the sensor based at least in part on a simulation of the model.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the model of the matching weather event comprises creating a spatiotemporal model of the matching weather event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic display in the dashboard further comprises:

a screen representing a cockpit window, a plurality of displays representing cockpit instruments and sensor displays; and

wherein the visual is provided on the screen and plurality of displays.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising simulating a display of a ground station based at least in part on the model of the matching weather event.

7. A simulator system comprising:

a flight simulator comprising a cockpit having a plurality of flight control inputs and an electronic display, the electronic display being disposed in a dashboard of the cockpit, the flight simulator configured to receive an input of a weather forecast for a desired simulated route, wherein the weather forecast is a prediction of future weather, wherein the simulator is further configured to simulate a desired weather event associated with the weather forecast in a simulated environment;

a display configured to display the desired weather event in the simulated environment;

and a database containing weather data, wherein the weather data pertains to stored weather events;

wherein the simulator is configured to simulate the movement of the aircraft and further configured to simulate visual and sensor data based on the positioning of the aircraft;

wherein the simulator is configured to locate the weather data pertaining to the desired weather event by matching weather parameters associated with the weather forecast with stored weather characteristics associated with the stored weather events, wherein a set of weather characteristics matches the weather parameters, wherein the weather parameters are determined from the weather forecast; and

wherein the simulator is configured to simulate the desired weather event based at least in part on the weather data such that simulation of the desired weather event at least partially models the stored weather event, receive flight control signals from the flight control inputs, and provide simulated movement of the aircraft based upon the flight control inputs, wherein a visual is provided on the electronic display of the cockpit or on a sensor of the cockpit based upon the simulated movement and the desired weather event.

8. The simulator system of claim 7, wherein the weather data originated from the National Climatic Data Center.

9. The simulator system of claim 7, wherein the database includes image data pertaining to the stored weather events.

10. The simulator system of claim 9, wherein the simulator is configured to simulate the desired weather event based at least in part on the image data pertaining to the stored weather events.

20. The simulator system of claim 7, the electronic display further comprises:

a screen representing a cockpit window, a plurality of displays representing cockpit instruments and sensor displays; and

wherein the visual is provided on the screen and plurality of displays.

11. A simulator system comprising:

a flight simulator comprising a cockpit having a plurality of flight control inputs and at least one haptic feedback device, the flight simulator configured to receive an input of a weather forecast for a desired simulated route, wherein the weather forecast is a prediction of a future weather event, wherein the simulator is further configured to simulate a desired weather event associated with the weather forecast in a simulated environment;

a display configured to display the desired weather event in the simulated environment; and

a database containing weather data, wherein the weather data pertains to stored weather events;

wherein the simulator is configured to locate the weather data pertaining to the desired weather event by matching weather parameters associated with the weather forecast with stored weather characteristics associated with the stored weather events, wherein a set of weather characteristics matches the weather parameters, wherein the weather parameters are determined from the weather forecast; and

wherein the simulator is configured to simulate the desired weather event based at least in part on the weather data such that simulation of the desired weather event at least partially models the stored weather event according to a model, wherein a visual is provided based upon the model and the simulator is configured to provide haptic feedback using the haptic feedback devices based upon the model;

wherein the simulator is further configured to simulate the flight of the aircraft though the model and also configured to simulate the visual based on the position of the aircraft within the model.

12. The simulator system of claim 11, wherein the weather data originated from the National Climatic Data Center.

13. The simulator system of claim 12, wherein the database includes image data pertaining to the stored weather events.

14. The simulator system of claim 11, further comprising an electronic display, the electronic display being disposed in a dashboard of the cockpit.

15. The simulator system of claim 14, wherein the visual is provided on the electronic display of the cockpit.

16. The simulator system of claim 11, further comprising an electronic sensor in the cockpit, wherein the visual is provided on the sensor of the cockpit.

17. The simulator system of claim 14, wherein the visual is provided on the electronic display of the cockpit, wherein the visual represents a weather radar image.

18. The simulator system of claim 11, wherein the flight control inputs include a yoke.

19. The simulator system of claim 14, wherein the flight control inputs include a thrust control.