Proceedings Article | 1 May 2009
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Data modeling, Radar, Human-machine interfaces, Monte Carlo methods, Environmental sensing, Integration, Simulink, 3D modeling, Forward looking infrared
This paper discusses a sensor simulator/synthesizer framework that can be used to test and evaluate various sensor
integration strategies for the implementation of an External Hazard Monitor (EHM) and Integrated Alerting and
Notification (IAN) function as part of NASA's Integrated Intelligent Flight Deck (IIFD) project. The IIFD project under
the NASA's Aviation Safety program "pursues technologies related to the flight deck that ensure crew workload and
situational awareness are both safely optimized and adapted to the future operational environment as envisioned by
NextGen." Within the simulation framework, various inputs to the IIFD and its subsystems, the EHM and IAN, are
simulated, synthesized from actual collected data, or played back from actual flight test sensor data. Sensors and avionics
included in this framework are TCAS, ADS-B, Forward-Looking Infrared, Vision cameras, GPS, Inertial navigators,
EGPWS, Laser Detection and Ranging sensors, altimeters, communication links with ATC, and weather radar. The
framework is implemented in Simulink®, a modeling language developed by The Mathworks™. This modeling language
allows for test and evaluation of various sensor and communication link configurations as well as the inclusion of
feedback from the pilot on the performance of the aircraft. Specifically, this paper addresses the architecture of the
simulator, the sensor model interfaces, the timing and database (environment) aspects of the sensor models, the user
interface of the modeling environment, and the various avionics implementations.