Systems and methods for scenario generation and monitoring

Abstract

Processor based systems and methods of defining a scenario event comprising the steps of identifying an event having an event attribute and generalizing the event attribute to define a generalized event whereby the generalized event is the scenario event. In some embodiments, the steps further comprise identifying a first and second event, generalizing a first and second event attribute to define a first and second generalized event and connecting the first and second generalized event in a continuous envelope to create a scenario envelope. Processor based systems and methods of monitoring an activity comprising the steps of monitoring an activity having an activity attribute and comparing the activity attribute to an event envelope to determine a status of the activity relative to the event envelope.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of monitoring an activity of a user with a computer based training simulator, the method comprising:
 receiving an activity of the user as a response to an event communicated to the user by an interface of the training simulator;   the activity having an activity attribute;   comparing the activity attribute to an event envelope; and   determining a status of the activity relative to the event envelope.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the event is a generalized event defined by one or more generalized event attribute. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the event envelope is defined by:
 defining a first shape of a first generalized event in an attribute space; 
 defining a second shape of a second generalized event in the attribute space; and 
 connecting the first shape and second shape linearly in the attribute space. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising determining whether to allow a next activity. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein:
 comparing the activity attribute to an event envelope and determining a status of the activity relative to the event envelope comprises comparing the activity attribute to a scenario envelope to determine a status of the activity relative to the scenario envelope; and 
 the scenario envelope is defined by a first generalized event and a second generalized event being connected in a continuous envelope. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the continuous envelope is defined by:
 defining a first shape of the first generalized event in an attribute space; 
 defining a second shape of the second generalized event in the attribute space; and 
 connecting the first shape and second shape linearly in the attribute space. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 receiving a second activity of a second user as a second response to a second event communicated to the second user by a second interface of the training simulator; 
 the second activity having a second activity attribute; 
 the user and the second user simultaneously using the training simulator; 
 comparing the second activity attribute to the event envelope; and 
 determining a second status of the second activity relative to the event envelope. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 defining one or more conditions based on the activity; and 
 monitoring the user activity for a violation of the one or more conditions. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the computer based training simulator is a computer based flight simulator. 
     
     
         10 . A computer based training simulator configured to monitor an activity of a user of the simulator, said simulator comprising:
 a memory;   a processor;   a communications interface;   an system bus coupling the memory, the processor and the communications interface; and   the memory encoded with a monitoring process that when executed on the processor is capable of monitoring an activity of the user of the computer based training simulator by performing:
 a. receiving the activity of a user of a simulator; 
 b. the activity of the user having an activity attribute; 
 c. comparing the activity attribute to a scenario envelope to determine a status of the activity relative to the scenario envelope; and 
 d. the scenario envelope defined by a first generalized event and a second generalized event connected in a continuous envelope. 
   
     
     
         11 . The computer based training simulator of  claim 10  wherein the continuous envelope is defined by:
 defining a first shape of the first generalized event in an attribute space; 
 defining a second shape of the second generalized event in the attribute space; and 
 connecting the first shape and second shape linearly in the attribute space. 
 
     
     
         12 . The computer based training simulator of  claim 10  wherein the at least one event comprises at least one decision point within a series of events. 
     
     
         13 . The computer based training simulator of  claim 10  wherein:
 the at least one event comprises at least one decision point within a series of events; and 
 the step of generalizing the at least one event attribute to define a generalized event comprises generalizing the at least one event attribute by converting the at least one event attribute to at least one range that includes the at least one decision point. 
 
     
     
         14 . The computer based training simulator of  claim 10  further comprising:
 a trainer interface to the training simulator; and 
 the trainer interface providing a visualization of the activity attribute, the first generalized event and the second generalized event data.