Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02644867 2008-11-25
Attorney Docket No. 1004P0090A01
OBSERVER TRAINER SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to aircraft simulators for
use in training aircraft personnel. More specifically,
the present invention relates to systems and methods for
use in training non-pilot aircrew such as observers and
search and rescue personnel in identifying threats to
the aircraft and search and rescue situations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The explosion in computing power within the last 15
years has led to the widespread adoption of computer
based simulations for training personnel in various
tasks. Simulators can now be found for everything from
piloting aircraft to driving cars. However, it has been
in the military that simulation based training has found
its most widespread use. Military based simulations now
train military personnel for duties as diverse as
driving a tank, being a door gunner on a helicopter
gunship, to flying the latest military aircraft.
[0003] While military simulators for various crew positions in
aircraft exist, there has been a dearth of simulators
for observers and search and rescue (SAR) technicians.
Those that do exist do not provide an authentic "out of
the window" experience that simulates the limited view
that observers and SAR technicians have out of an
aircraft window. Such simulators would be useful for
training observers in spotting and identifying threats
to the aircraft. As well, SAR technicians can be
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trained in spotting and reporting visual cues that would
indicate a crash site or a rescue situation.
[0004] Present simulators for this purpose only allow for
airborne and air sourced threats (such as missiles).
None of the simulators presently available show ground
based components of the threats such as personnel with
shoulder launched missiles or anti-aircraft artillery
pieces. As well, none of the present simulators have
the capability to show ground based scenes that would be
useful for training SAR technicians.
[0005] More importantly, none of the present simulators limit
the vision of the trainees of the view out of the
window. As is well-known, windows in aircraft,
especially military aircraft, tend to be small and are
not ideal for sight-seeing or for observing the region
surrounding the aircraft. However, it is specifically
through these windows that observers have to watch for
threats to the aircraft and, when necessary, alert the
flight aircrew to the existence and location of these
threats. As such, a more authentic and realistic
experience would be had from simulators if these
simulators provided the trainees with a more limited
view of the area around the aircraft. Trainees would
then have to move their heads and bodies around to
obtain a better view of the area, as they would have to
do in real life. Furthermore, the viewing limitation
imposed by the trainee's own aircraft also provide a
frame of reference that affect the trainee's judgments
about the spatiotemporal relationship amongst the
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trainee, the aircraft, and the objects external to the
aircraft.
[0006] Some of the current simulators for training observers
only provide trainees with a circular view of a scene
outside the aircraft. Trainees only see this circular
view and, as such, are not required to try and improve
their view of the scene as would happen in real life.
[0007] Based on the above, there is therefore a need for newer
and better simulator systems for training observers and
SAR technicians in identifying both ground and air based
circumstances which may need attention from the aircrew.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0008] The present invention provides systems and methods for
use in training observers and search and rescue
personnel in detecting and identifying visual cues
related to potential threats to aircraft and to ground
based search and rescue circumstances. A visual display
displays a scene generated by a visual scene generator
apparatus. A vision limiting device is placed between
the trainee and the visual display and the trainee can
only see a limited amount of the visual display through
a window on the vision limiting device. The limited
view of the scene afforded the trainee will force the
trainee to move around at various angles to see more of
the scene as he normally would in real life. It will
also provide a frame of reference for making
spatiotemporal judgments regarding the relationships
between the trainee, the trainee's aircraft, and objects
external to the aircraft.
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[0008a] In a first aspect, the document discloses a system for use
in training observer personnel in aircraft, the system
being for use with visual scene generator apparatus, the
system comprising:
a visual display for displaying a scene generated by said
visual scene generator apparatus; and
a vision limiting device for use by said observer
personnel, said vision limiting device being placed
between said observer personnel and said visual display,
said observer personnel's only view of said scene being
through said vision limiting device, said vision limiting
device being constructed and arranged such that said
vision limiting device prevents said personnel from seeing
a complete view of said scene except for what said
personnel can see through said device such that said
personnel must move his or her head or body for a more
complete view of said scene;
wherein said vision limiting device is an aircraft door
with a window and said system is for training observer
personnel in assessing spatiotemporal relationships
between artefacts viewed out of said window and an
aircraft being simulated; and
wherein said observer personnel are non-pilot personnel.
[0008b] In a second aspect, the document discloses a method for
training observer personnel in aircraft, the method
comprising:
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a) providing a visual display for displaying a scene
generated by a visual scene generator apparatus;
b) providing a vision limiting device for use by said
observer personnel, said vision limiting device being
placed between said personnel and said visual display,
said personnel's only view of said scene being through
said vision limiting device, said vision limiting device
being constructed and arranged such that said vision
limiting device prevents said personnel from seeing a
complete view of said scene except for what said personnel
can see through said device such that said personnel must
move his or her head or body for a more complete view of
said scene; and
c) displaying a scene on said visual display, said scene
being a dynamic scene depicting a view outside of an
aircraft in flight, said scene including a ground view as
seen from said aircraft;
wherein said vision limiting device is an aircraft door
with a window and said system is for training observer
personnel in assessing spatiotemporal relationships
between artefacts viewed out of said window and said
aircraft in flight.
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[0009] In another aspect, the document discloses a system for use
in training observer personnel in aircraft, the system
being for use with visual scene generator apparatus, the
system comprising:
- a visual display for displaying a scene generated by
said visual scene generator apparatus;
- a vision limiting device for use by said observer
personnel, said vision limiting device being constructed
and arranged between said personnel and said visual di
splay so as to limit said observer personnel's view of
said visual display such that said observer personnel is
able to see all of said scene only by moving said
personnel's head or body.
[0010] In a further aspect, the document discloses a method for
training observer personnel in aircraft, the method
comprising:
a) providing a visual display f or displaying a scene
generated by a visual scene generator apparatus;
b) providing a vision limiting device for use by said
observer personnel, said vision limiting device being
constructed and arranged between said personnel and said
visual display so as to limit said observer personnel's
view of said visual display such that said observer
personnel is able to see all of said scene only by moving
said personnel's head or body;
c) displaying a scene on said visual display, said scene
being a dynamic scene depicting a view outside of an
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aircraft in flight, said scene including a ground view
as seen from said aircraft.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein
[0012] FIGURE 1 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of
the invention;
[0013] FIGURE 2 is a schematic view of one variant of the
invention which uses an audio module;
[0014] FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of another variant of the
invention in which multiple instances of the invention
are networked together for team training; and
[0015] FIGURE 4 is a diagram illustrating one implementation of
one aspect of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Referring to Figure 1, a side view diagram of a training
simulator for use with training observers and SAR
technicians is illustrated. The system 10 comprises a
video display unit 20, a vision limiting device 30 with
a window 40. The user/personnel 50 to be trained
observes a scene being shown on the video unit 20
through the window 40. The vision limiting device 30 is
positioned between the personnel 50 and the video
display 20 and is apart from the display 20. The device
30 prevents the personnel 50 from seeing the complete
scene being presented on the display 20 except for what
the personnel 50 can see through the window 40. This
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will, therefore, force the personnel 50 to, if he wants
to see the whole scene, extend his neck, move his head
(and possibly his body) around to obtain a better view
of the scene. The personnel 50 may be, depending on the
circumstances inside the aircraft for which he is
training for, standing or sitting while observing the
scene through the window 40.
[0017] The video display 20 may be a flat or curved screen
video display, a projector and screen assembly, a
cathode ray tube (CRT) device, a liquid crystal display
(LCD) screen, a plasma screen, or any other device
suitable for displaying video displays from such signals
as a TV signal, a computer video output, or any similar
signals.
[0018] The vision limiting device 30 may be any device which
prevents the personnel 50 from seeing the scene on the
display 20 except for what the personnel 50 can see
through the window 40. As such, the device 30 may be an
inflatable screen with a plastic window, a replica or
reasonable facsimile of an aircraft door or airframe
with a window, or even a suitable wall with a window.
Of course, it would be preferable, for training and
simulation purposes, for the device 30 to have a window
similar in size and nature to an aircraft window. As
well, it would be preferable if the personnel 50 would
not be able to see the edges of the display 20 through
the window as this may ruin the illusion of being inside
an aircraft and looking out through one of the
aircraft's windows. The device 30 may therefore be a
shield or shroud which covers the periphery of the
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display 20, thereby limiting the view seen by the
personnel 50 to only what is inside the shroud or shield
(namely the screen of the display 20).
[0019] To provide the scene (preferably a dynamic scene)
portrayed on the display 20, a controller 60 is coupled
to the display 20. The controller 60 may be a computer
with suitable software for simulating scenes outside of
an aircraft in flight. Preferably, the software is
based on a suitable flight simulator so as to provide
proper air and ground visual artefacts in the scene
presented to the personnel 50. The controller 60 has a
visual scene generator 65 which actually generates the
scenes viewed by the personnel 50.
[0020] The controller, operated by suitably trained personnel,
should be capable of providing dynamic scenes such as
those encountered by actual aircraft when flying
missions. As an example, the controller should be
capable of showing contrails (or vapor trails) from
missiles, other aircraft (both fixed wing and
helicopters), and other possible airborne threats.
Similarly, ground based threats, such as anti-aircraft
batteries, missile batteries, artillery, military
formations, tracer fire from ground based threats, and
ground vehicles should, preferably, also be viewable in
the dynamic display. These and other ground and air
visual artefacts can be used to train personnel 50 in
not only identifying threats but also potential threats
to the aircraft. Furthermore, these artefacts can be
used to train personnel in judging their spatiotemporal
relationship with the personnel's aircraft. As an
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example, these artefacts can be used to train the
personnel in assessing distances, time to impact,
altitude, direction, etc. of these artefacts relative to
the personnel's simulated aircraft. As a further
example, if the personnel sees an incoming simulated
missile, the personnel can be trained to assess if the
missile will make impact with aircraft and, if so, how
much time before the impact.
[0021] It should, however, be noted that the controller should
also be capable of displaying non-military visual cues
useful for training SAR technicians. As such, the
controller should be capable of showing crash sites,
forest fires, and other natural disasters. Furthermore,
the controller should be capable of showing these
artefacts and visual cues (both military and non-
military) as they are seen from an aircraft flying at
various altitudes. With such a system and such a
controller, SAR technicians can be trained to spot
telltale signs of crash sites, burning wreckage, sinking
ships, smoke signals, and other search and rescue
situations. Similarly, military personnel can be
trained to recognize and spot telltale signs of incoming
threats or potential threats to the aircraft using this
system and controller. As explained above, SAR
technicians can also be trained, using the system, to
assess spatiotemporal relationships between artefacts
they see and the simulated aircraft. SAR technicians
can therefore be trained to, as an example, assess how
far a simulated crash site is from the aircraft or
roughly how long it will take the aircraft will take to
reach such a simulated crash site.
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[0022] For further authenticity to the simulation being
provided to the personnel 50 being trained, an audio
module may also be coupled to the controller 60 (see Fig
2). The audio module 70 would provide the personnel 50
being trained with audio input from other observers in
the simulated aircraft or from the flight aircrew.
Similarly, the personnel 50 being trained may also
provide audio feedback to the other observers or the
flight aircrew regarding what he sees through the
window. The audio provided to the personnel 50 may be
recorded audio samples of real-life chatter from actual
aircraft or be pre-recorded simulated responses. Either
way, the audio may come from the controller 60. Thus, if
a simulated incoming missile threat is observed by the
personnel 50, he can indicate the presence of the threat
by communicating with a simulated flight aircrew via the
audio module. The controller, upon receiving this input
from the personnel, can then adjust the aircraft
simulation to mimic the view out of an aircraft that is
taking evasive manoeuvres. The view seen by the
personnel thus changes accordingly and the personnel can
then visually track the incoming virtual missile threat
and provide guidance as to whether the measures taken by
the virtual flight aircrew have been successful or not.
[0023] Similar to the above, as an example, an SAR technician
can spot a potential crash site and indicate this to the
virtual flight aircrew through the audio module. The
controller can then adjust the simulation to mimic an
aircraft manoeuvring for a closer look at the potential
crash site. The view seen by the personnel thus
similarly changes as the aircraft may lose some altitude
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and may adjust its heading accordingly. The SAR
technician being trained can thus visually verify if
what he saw was a virtual crash site or not.
[0024] It should be noted that while pre-recorded audio may be
used to provide authenticity to the training experience
for personnel 50 as detailed above, a more authentic
training experience can be had by providing live audio
to the personnel 50. This can be done by networking the
system 10 with other training modules 80A, 80B, and 80C
being used by other personnel (see Fig 3). By doing
this, other training personnel can have different views
of the same event (assuming all the personnel are
supposed to be on the same aircraft) and they can be
trained to track threats and other visual cues as a
team.
[0025] As noted above, it is preferable that the controller be
used in conjunction with a flight simulator to provide
realistic views of the area around the aircraft. For
adding yet more authenticity, a flight simulator module,
controlled by a real flight aircrew (either in training
or not) can be used with the networked configuration as
shown in Fig 3. The configuration can be configured so
that flight control adjustments by the flight aircrew
are reflected by the views seen by the personnel. Thus,
if the flight aircrew banks the simulated aircraft to
the left, the personnel would see a corresponding change
in the scene that they were viewing. Using this example,
trainees who were looking outside the virtual right side
of the aircraft and who were visually tracking a ground
based target would see the target disappear underneath
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the virtual aircraft. Thus, to keep this target in
view, these trainees, when using the system 10, would
have to angle their heads accordingly as the virtual
aircraft banks to the left.
[0026] The networking between the various personnel using the
system may be carried further by also networking the
audio between the various personnel. Thus, observer
personnel and/or SAR technician can be in constant
communication with each other and with the flight
aircrew. Based on the feedback from the observers, the
flight aircrew can adjust the flight of the virtual
aircraft to avoid virtual threats, obtain a better view
of a potential search and rescue situation, or otherwise
react to the input from the observers. As noted above,
any adjustments to the flight by the aircrew (and/or the
operator of the controller) is reflected in the views
seen by the personnel.
[0027] In one implementation of the invention, the visual
display was a 2 meter fabric dome immersive display from
Immersive Display Solutioneof Atlanta Georgia. Other
immersive displays and, in fact, other types of displays
may also be used. For this implementation, the dome may
be inflatable or rigid (such as the immersive display
marketed by Immersive Display Uelocated in Essex, UK).
In some implementations, the vision limiting device is a
canopy deployed over the immersive display. As noted
above, the canopy has a window that has similar size and
shape to the windows of the aircraft being simulated.
For the visual scene generator (referred to above as the
controller but may be considered as part of a larger
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controller), the implementation used a number of dual
core processors (with sufficient support circuitry)
running in parallel.
[0028] For the above noted implementation, various types of
software may be used to generate the scenes viewed by
the training personnel. In this implementation, the
software product marketed under the name Vega Primemby
Presagiim(based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada) with
the Vega Prime FX and Vega Prime Marine was used as the
image generator software rendering tool.
[0029] Other software may also be used to generate the scenes.
Software developed by Bohemia Interactivem(such the
package marketed as Virtual Battlespacemand Virtual
Battlespace 2) may be modified to provide the various
scenes used by the above noted system. Military grade
aircraft simulation software may also be adjusted to
provide the various scenes shown to the personnel by the
visual display.
[0030] Referring to Figure 4, an image of the above noted
implementation of the invention, specifically designed
to simulate a C-13emHerculesimaircraft, is shown. As can
be seen from the image, a circular window is provided on
a vision limiting device designed to simulate a door or
an airframe of a C-130 Hercules aircraft. The display
is a dome immersive display as described above. A
monitor to the right of the image in Figure 4 shows an
image of what would be projected on to the dome and
which would be seen by the personnel seated in front of
the window.
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[0031] It should be noted that while the above noted
implementation of the invention was specifically tasked
to train personnel for the observer position in C-130
aircraft, other aircraft which have observers and/or
which have the capability to have observers or SAR
technicians as aircrew may be simulated as well.
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