An evaluation test bed for enhanced vision

Abstract

DLR's Institute of Flight Guidance is involved in many projects dealing with the development of new concepts for flight procedures and pilot assistance functions. This includes especially the topic of enhanced vision (EVS), where processed data from radar and infrared sensors is utilized to augment the pilot's vision. For evaluating these concepts extensive flight testing has been conducted and results have been published during the last years. Now, DLR has combined its expertise in the field of high performance sensor simulation on the one hand side, together with the visual simulation for its generic cockpit simulator, on the other hand. Sensor simulation of imaging radar, lidar, infrared, etc., is based mainly on the application of high performance functions of modern computer graphics hardware (vertex and fragment shaders). The direct combination of these functions with the "outside-vision" software, which is now based on exactly the same terrain and object geometry, delivers sensor data that perfectly correlate to the visual channel. This combined simulation environment will be the basis for various evaluation trials within the near future, including simulation trails for fixed-wing and rotary-wing applications.The paper presents the implemented software and hardware architecture of the cockpit's visual simulator and its coupling to the sensor simulation test-suite. First results of recently conducted simulation experiments including the evaluation of new proposed flight procedures, which apply EVS technology, are given.

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