Specification
(a) Title:
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL MISSION DEBRIEF SYSTEM FOR REAL TIME AND OFF-LINE ANALYSIS WITH EXTENDED FEATURES FOR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION.
(b) Field of Invention:
This invention relates to the mission/flight debrief systems of Aerospace vehicles.
(c) Use of Invention:
A comprehensive methodology to verify and validate the functionality of air data computer for aircraft applications with the intention of reducing the quantum of flight testing efforts.
(d) Object of Invention:
The principal object of the invention is to establish a multi-dimensional system for mission debriefing. Another object of this invention is to have a real time system for multi-dimensional representations of flight dynamics in telemetry to support aircraft certification flight trials. Another object of this invention is to establish an user friendly accident investigation system for aircraft. Another object of this invention is to establish a centralized system for assessing the performance of aircraft pilots.
(e) General statement of invention:
The invention provides a multi-dimensional mission debrief system (MMDS) for real time and off-line flight data analysis with extended features for accident investigation.
(j) Detailed Description of Invention:
Background: Flight data recording & analysis is a major activity for an aircraft in the prototype and initial development stage to give valuable feedback to the pilots and designers to refine the aircraft design. After every mission, the data debriefing is essentially conducted. Conventionally, this activity is carried out by extracting the data from the recorder and analyzing it with plots and graphs in 2D environment. This method is not conducive for human perception as it presents a 2D representation of a 3D event.

Description: An innovative mission debrief system has been developed to support multi-dimensional analysis in off-line and real time. The system (MMDS) has an onboard data recorder which stores the data in a quick access memory and also transmits the data in real time to the telemetry station. An on-ground PC (computer) based system, with the required modules for data analysis and flight profile re-creation, receives the aircraft data in real time through Ethernet interface from telemetry station and re-creates flight dynamics and cockpit indications in real time. The aircraft state is represented in terms of time, latitude, longitude, elevation, and Euler angles.
The PC based system can take the data from quick access recorder for off-line mission debrief. The system re-creates flight dynamics and cockpit instrumentations apart from the parameter plots and event marking. The system has a user friendly interface to select the mission data to be replayed in 3D and 2D representations with provision for different views. The system has the feature for report generation and archiving for later review. The system can be configured in a client-server networking for remote access and analysis. This will be helpful to track the performance of aircraft and pilots by the superiors from remote stations.
The MMDS has the six degree of freedom modelling and complementary filtering to process flight and navigation data. The data processing in MMDS makes it suitable for high fidelity re-creation of the flight profile even with the data at low sampling rate. This is useful to process the crash data recorder (CDR) data and it makes MMDS a reliable system for accident investigation.
The MMDS can simultaneously recreate the profiles of multiple aircrafts which can be used for assessment & improvement of formation flying pattern.
Features and Parameters: The MMDS is a complete mission debrief system with the following main features.
1) Onboard recorder and data interface protocol;
2) Mission re-creation in real time and off-line;
3) Aircraft model;

4) Data processing - six degree of freedom modelling and complementary
filtering;
5) High fidelity replica of the cockpit environment animated display symbologies,
Head Up Display (HUD), control stick, rudder pedal, under carriage switch,
Central Warning Panel (CWP) etc.
6) Complete 3D visualization of the Flight from configurable views with the terrain database;
7) Option for 2D representation of the aircraft path over the terrain map against the Flight Plan;
8) Dynamic plotting of the parameters;
9) Path traversed by the aircraft in the 3D environment;

10) Event marking- hard and soft;
11) Parameter excedance and Event detection;
12) Golden models for performance comparison of the pilots/aircraft;
13) Report generation and logging;
14) Playback controls;

15) Database creation and access schemes;
16) Networking for remote access;
17) Tool for aircraft health and usage monitoring;
18) Tool for assessment & improvement of aircraft formation flying pattern.
19) Tool for accident investigation.
Fig 1.0 provides the schematic of MMDS.

Fig 1.0 (a): Real time configuration Fig 1.0 (b): Offline configuration
Fig 1.0 (c): Accident investigation

CLAIM:
We claim that
1. Multi-dimensional mission debrief system for an aircraft consists
of:
-an onboard recorder which can record data in a quick access memory;
-an onboard recorder which can transmit the flight data in real time to a telemetry station;
-a PC based on-ground system which can receive the data in real time from the telemetry station through socket programming and can re-create 2D and 3D flight profiles and cockpit instrumentations for on-line monitoring and instructions;
-a PC based on-ground system which can take data in off-line from quick access recorder and re-create 2D and 3D flight profiles and cockpit instrumentations for mission replay and analysis.
-a PC based on-ground system which can take input from crash data recorder and re-create 2D and 3D flight profiles and cockpit instrumentations.
2. Multi-dimensional mission debrief system has the features as
follows:
-mission re-creation in real time and off-line;
-extensive data processing including six degree of freedom aircraft dynamics modelling and complementary filtering;
-high fidelity replica of the cockpit environment
-complete 3D visualization of the Flight from configurable views with the terrain database;
-option for 2D representation of the aircraft path over the terrain map against the Flight Plan;
.I

-dynamic plotting of the parameters;
-path traversed by the aircraft in the 3D environment;
-event marking- hard and soft;
-parameter exceedance and event detection;
-golden models for performance comparison of the pilots/aircraft;
-report generation and logging;
-database creation and access schemes;
3. Multi-dimensional debrief system has been used as an aircraft accident investigation tool.
4. Multi-dimensional debrief system can be used as a tool for aircraft health and usage monitoring.
5. Multi-dimensional debrief system can simultaneously recreate flight profiles of multiple aircrafts which can be used for assessment and improvement of formation flight pattern.
6. Multi-dimensional debrief system can be networked across the country to facilitate centralised review of the performance of aircraft and pilots.