System and method for inspecting and validating flight procedure

• US 9,902,503 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flight Inspection Center of CAAC
• Original Assignee: Flight Inspection Center of CAAC
• Inventors: Su, Wei, Ou, Yangting, Wei, Gang, Liu, Kun, Yu, Yachao, Chen, Tao
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Eileen
• Application Number:
  US14/904,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20160144979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0073 Surveillance aids scene image recognition G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/04 Anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/165 Control of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/08 for teaching control of aircraft, e.g. Link trainer
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/24 including display or recording of simulated flight path

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for inspecting and validating a flight procedure used in the field of civil aviation. The system comprises an image capturing apparatus, a storage device, a playing device, a recorder such as QAR, a data processing module and a synchronization module; the method for inspecting and validating a flight procedure applied in the system includes the following steps: collecting actual visual videos and flight parameters, generating simulation visual videos, generating over-limit alarms, processing data, generating complex simulation visual videos, generating flight trajectory and flight procedure protection area pictures, and synchronizing and playing the videos. With the application of the system and the method, the defects of the prior art can be overcome, artificial sensory factors are more avoided, the general condition of an aircraft itself at each time point during the execution of the flight procedure are accurately reflected, and objective and accurate references are provided for designers and approvers of the flight procedure.

Claims

1. A system for inspecting and validating a flight procedure, comprising an image capturing apparatus, a storage device, a playing device, and a recorder, characterized in that the system is further provided with a data processing module for processing flight data extracted by the recorder and a synchronization module for synchronizing video files temporally;

the image capturing apparatus is equipped on an aircraft, and is connected with the storage device;

the recorder is connected with the data processing module;

the storage device and the data processing module are connected independently with the synchronization module, the synchronization module being connected with the playing device;

wherein the system further comprises a first display screen for displaying images of actual flight paths collected by the image capturing apparatus, a second display screen and a third display screen for displaying images of simulation flight paths generated from the flight data recorded by the recorder, and a fourth display screen for displaying two-dimensional pictures of images of the simulation flight paths;

the playing device is independently connected with the first display screen, the second display screen, the third display screen, and the fourth display screen;

wherein the first display screen, the second display screen, the third display screen and the fourth display screen are four display screens disposed on the same wall.

2. The system for inspecting and validating a flight procedure of claim 1, characterized in that the third display screen displays complex flight simulation videos processed and generated by a software, and the fourth display screen displays simulation videos of 3D images processed and generated by another software.

3. The system for inspecting and validating a flight procedure of claim 2, characterized in that the software is Xplane.

4. The system for inspecting and validating a flight procedure of claim 2, characterized in that the another software is Google Earth.

5. A method for validating a flight procedure applied in the system of claim 1, comprising the step of collecting actual visual videos and flight parameters, the step of generating simulation visual videos, the step of generating over-limit alarms, the step of processing data, the step of generating complex simulation visual videos, the step of generating flight trajectory and flight procedure protection area pictures, the step of synchronizing the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos, and the complex simulation visual videos, and the step of playing the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos, and the complex simulation visual videos;

in the step of collecting actual visual videos and flight parameters, actual flight is carried out at an actual location according to a pre-designed flight procedure;

during the flight, the image capturing apparatus in the system stores captured actual visual videos into the storage device, and meanwhile, the recorder records various flight parameters;

in the step of generating simulation visual videos, the data processing module in the system extracts the flight parameters recorded in the recorder, decoding processing software of the recorder makes simulation videos of actual flights of an aircraft, and actual flight parameters are embedded in the simulation videos, so that the flight parameters are visible in the video;

in the step of generating over-limit alarms, the data processing module in the system extracts the flight parameters recorded in the recorder, the actual flight parameters are compared with standard parameters preset in the flight procedure, alarms are generated by the flight parameter alarm function of the decoding processing software of the recorder, and the alarms are embedded into the simulation videos, so that the alarms are visible in the simulation visual videos;

in the data processing step, the data processing module generates, by the decoding processing software of the recorder, video source data packets used for making composite flight simulation videos and image source data packets used for processing and generating 3D images by software Google Earth or other software;

in the step of generating composite simulation visual videos, the data processing module in the system extracts the video source data packets, and composite simulation visual videos with view angles adjustable are generated by simulation flight software;

in the step of generating flight trajectory and flight procedure protection area pictures, the data processing module in the system extracts the image source data packets, 3D image files with actual flight trajectories are generated by software Google Earth or other software, and protection areas set in a flight procedure are marked in the 3D images to generate pictures containing the actual flight trajectories and the flight procedure protection areas;

in the synchronization step, the synchronization module synchronizes the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos and the composite simulation visual videos temporally, and selects the flight trajectory and the flight procedure protection area pictures output by the software Google Earth or other software in the time period corresponding to that of the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos and the composite simulation visual videos;

in the playing step, the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos, the composite simulation visual videos and the simulation visual pictures temporally synchronized by a multi-path video player software are simultaneously played.

6. The method of claim 5, characterized in that the video source data packets generated by the data processing module in the step of processing data are data packets used for making a 3D dynamic video by Xplane software or other software.

7. The method of claim 5, characterized in that a time system used in the step of synchronizing the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos, and the complex simulation visual videos is a GPS time system, and the synchronization module extracts GPS time and local time parameters in the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos, and the complex simulation visual videos, and starting points of the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos, and the complex simulation visual videos or the images are adjusted according to the parameters to realize the synchronization of the actual visual videos, the simulation visual videos, and the complex simulation visual videos or the images.

8. The system for inspecting and validating a flight procedure of claim 1, characterized in that the recorder is a Quick Access Recorder.