Simulation of a complex system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10839704-B2
Application number	US-201314409095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2013
Priority date	Jun 19, 2012
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

Simulation of a complex system involves representing the complex system in a plurality of simulation building blocks, each simulation building block is associated with a subsystem of the complex system. Each simulation building block includes at least one client-side simulation component and a server-side simulation component. During the simulation a user interaction is detected by a client-side simulation component, the complex system is simulated in server-side simulation components on the basis of the user interaction. Simulation data for the subsystem is generated by the server-side simulation components, and the subsystem is represented by the corresponding client-side components based on the simulation data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for simulating a plurality of complex systems being interconnected to each other, the method comprising:
representing the plurality of complex systems in a plurality of simulation building blocks, wherein each simulation building block is associated with a subsystem of a respective one of the plurality of complex systems, wherein each simulation building block comprises at least one client-side simulation component and a server-side simulation component, wherein each simulation building block is a self-contained modular unit of a simulation for a respective one of the plurality of complex systems;
detecting a user interaction with at least one client-side simulation component;
detecting an interaction between the plurality of complex systems;
simulating the plurality of complex systems in server-side simulation components based on the detected user interaction, wherein simulation data for the subsystems is generated by the server-side simulation component;
representing the subsystems based on the simulation data by the corresponding client-side components;
controlling a real hardware subsystem of at least one of the plurality of complex systems, based on the simulation data, using the server-side simulation component of a first simulation building block as an interface between the at least one of the plurality of complex systems and the real hardware subsystem;
detecting output data of the real hardware subsystem in response to the simulation data based control, using the first simulation building block;
generating additional simulation data from the detected output data using the first simulation building block;
communicating the additional simulation data from the first simulation building block to a second simulation building block of the plurality of simulation building blocks; and
simulating a subsystem associated with the second simulation building block using the additional simulation data generated from the first simulation building block,
wherein the subsystem associated with the second simulation building block operates independently from the real hardware subsystem.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
communicating the user interaction or the simulation data between a client-side component and a server-side component via a communication network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the subsystems are represented by a web browser, or
the client-side component is implemented using a browser-based language.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
communicating the simulation data using message packets between the simulation building blocks.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the server-side components are implemented using a JVM-based language.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the client-side components are implemented on a client, and
the server-side components are implemented on a server that is connected to the client via a communication network.

7. A computer-readable medium comprises a series of instructions, which when executed on at least one processor cause the at least one processor to carry out the steps of:
representing a plurality of complex systems in a plurality of simulation building blocks, wherein each simulation building block is associated with a subsystem of a respective one of the plurality of complex systems, wherein each simulation building block comprises at least one client-side simulation component and a server-side simulation component, wherein each simulation building block is a self-contained modular unit of a simulation for a respective one of the plurality of complex systems;
detecting a user interaction with at least one client-side simulation component;
detecting an interaction between the plurality of complex systems;
simulating the plurality of complex systems in server-side simulation components based on the detected user interaction, wherein simulation data for the subsystems is generated by the server-side simulation component;
representing the subsystems based on the simulation data by the corresponding client-side components;
controlling a real hardware subsystem of at least one of the plurality of complex systems, based on the simulation data, using the server-side simulation component of a first simulation building block as an interface between the at least one of the plurality of complex systems and the real hardware subsystem;
detecting output data of the real hardware subsystem in response to the simulation data based control, using the first simulation building block;
generating additional simulation data from the detected output data using the first simulation building block;
communicating additional simulation data from a first simulation building block to a second simulation building block of the plurality of simulation building blocks; and
simulating a subsystem associated with the second simulation building block based on the additional simulation data generated from the first simulation building block,
wherein the subsystem associated with the second simulation building block operates independently from the real hardware subsystem.

8. A simulation system for a plurality of complex systems that are interconnected to each other, the simulation system comprising:
at least one computer, on which simulation building blocks are stored, each of which comprises a client-side component and a server-side component, and
a real hardware subsystem of one of the plurality of complex systems,
wherein each of a plurality of simulation building blocks is associated with a subsystem of a respective one of the plurality of complex systems,
wherein each of the plurality of simulation building blocks is a self-contained modular unit of a simulation for a respective one of the plurality of complex systems,
wherein a client-side component that is associated with a subsystem of a respective one of the plurality of complex systems is configured to detect a user interaction with the subsystem and to represent the subsystem in a simulation thereof,
wherein a server-side component is configured to simulate the subsystem on the basis of the user interaction,
wherein the server-side simulation component of at least one of the plurality of simulation building blocks is operatively coupled to the real hardware subsystem, so as to control the real hardware subsystem based on the simulation data, and to detect output data of the real hardware subsystem, in response to the simulation data based control, the server-side simulation component thereby acting as an interface between at least one of the plurality of complex systems and the real hardware system,
wherein additional simulation data generated from the detected output data using a first simulation building block associated with a first subsystem is communicated to a second simulation building block associated with a second subsystem,
wherein the second subsystem is simulated based on the additional simulation data, and
wherein the second subsystem operates independently from the first subsystem.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Oswald Ralf
• Huber Robert
• Foerster Martin

Classifications

• G09B5/02 Primary

  with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip · CPC title

• H04L67/131

  Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• G06F9/5066 Primary

  Algorithms for mapping a plurality of inter-dependent sub-tasks onto a plurality of physical CPUs (mappping at compile time, see G06F8/451) · CPC title

• G09B25/02

  of industrial processes; of machinery · CPC title