US 8,986,011 B1Granted

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

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorsClifford B. Sowadski, Robert James Lechner

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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.

Claims21

Dependent claims

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.

10 more elements

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.

5 more elements

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.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.