INTERFACE BETWEEN A WEAPONS SYSTEM AND A TACTICAL DATA LINK

Abstract

An interface which includes a modular data-management unit, comprising a first module and a second module that are linked together via a transmission link, the transmission link having a simplified standard copied from the standard of the data-transmission link, the first module being linked to a network of the weapons system and configured to translate a system message, received from the network, into a so-called intermediate message, and to translate an intermediate message, received via the transmission link, into at least one system message, the second module being linked to a communication unit and configured to encode an intermediate message received from the first module into a standard message of the tactical data link and to decode a standard message received and translate same into an intermediate message.

Claims

1. An interface between a weapon system and at least one tactical data link, said interface being configured to be linked on the one hand to a network of the weapon system and on the other hand to a communication unit of a tactical data link according to a particular standard, said interface comprising a data management unit, wherein said data management unit is of modular type and comprises a first module using at least one operational function and at least a second module using at least one communication function, said first and second modules being linked together over said transmission link, and wherein: said transmission link has a simplified standard derived directly from the standard of the data transmission link; said first module is capable of being connected to said network of the weapon system and is configured: to translate a system message, received from said network, into an intermediate message, before transmission over the transmission link to said second module; and to translate an intermediate message, received from the transmission link into at least one system message, before transmission to said network; and said second module is capable of being linked to the communication unit and is configured: to encode an intermediate message received from said module into a standard message of the tactical data link, before transmission to said communication unit; and to decode a received standard message and translate it into an intermediate message, before transmission to said first module.

2. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said first module is configured to apply the first predetermined rules of system message transmission.

3. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said first module is configured to produce an operational selection of the information to be transmitted by the transmission link.

4. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said first module is configured to carry out a verification of operational consistency of an intermediate message received from the transmission link.

5. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said first module implements at least one translation rule in transmission and at least one translation rule in reception, wherein this translation rule in transmission specifies the correspondence between the fields of a system message and the fields of an intermediate message, as well the type of conversion, and wherein the translation rule in reception specifies the correspondence between the fields of an intermediate message and the fields of one or several system messages.

6. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said second module is configured to apply the first predetermined rules of system message transmission.

7. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said second module is configured to manage the transmission flow.

8. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said second module is configured to verify the formatting of messages received from the tactical data link.

9. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said transmission link is determined according to a tactical data link of one of the following types: an L16 link; an L11 link; and an L22 link.

10. The interface according to claim 1, wherein said transmission link is a multi-protocol generic link.

11. The interface according to claim 1, comprising a single first module and at least two second modules, each of which is linked to said first module by a transmission link.

12. The interface according to claim 1, comprising at least two material elements, the first module being integrated in one of these material elements and the second module being integrated in the other of these material elements.

13. The interface according to claim 1, comprising one material element, the first and second modules being both integrated in this material element.

14. A weapon system comprising at least one interface specified in claim 1.

15. A method of interfacing between one weapon system and at least one tactical data link, to produce an interface between on the one hand a network of the weapon system and on the other hand a communication unit of the tactical data link which complies with a particular standard, comprising: a first step implemented in a first module producing at least one operational function and capable of being linked to said network of the weapon system, the first step comprising: in a direction leaving the weapon system, in translating a system message, received from said network of the weapon system, into an intermediate message, before transmission by a transmission link to a second module, said transmission link having a simplified standard derived directly from the standard of the data transmission link; and in a direction entering the weapon system, in translating an intermediate message received from the transmission link into a system message, before transmission to said network; and a second step implemented in the second module producing at least one communication function and capable of being linked to the communication unit, the second step comprising: in a direction leaving the weapon system, in encoding an intermediate message received from said fist module into a standard message of the tactical data link, before transmission to said communication unit; and in a direction entering the weapon system, in decoding a received standard message and translating it into an intermediate message, before transmission to said first module.

Description

[0052] The accompanying drawings will show how the invention can be carried out. In these drawings, identical reference numerals denote similar elements.

[0053] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an interface according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0054] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a specific embodiment of an interface.

[0055] The interface 1 illustrating the invention and shown schematically in FIG. 1 is intended to create a two-way link between a weapon system 2 and at least one tactical data link 3 shown schematically, which complies with a specific standard (or standard protocol), as specified below.

[0056] More specifically, said interface 1 is configured to be linked both to a network 4 of the weapon system 2 and to a communication unit 5 which is capable of communicating with the tactical data link 3, as shown by an arrow 6.

[0057] The interface 1, the network 4 and the communication means 5 are on board the weapon system 2. The interface 1 comprises a data management unit 7.

[0058] According to the invention, said data management unit 7 is of the modular type and comprises a first module 8 and at least one second module 9 which are interlinked by means of a link 10 referred to as a transmission link.

[0059] In addition, according to the invention: [0060] the transmission link 10 has a simplified standard which is derived directly from the standard (for example L16 link) of the data transmission link 3. Derived directly (or reproduced) is understood to mean that the transmission link 10 is a simplified link, based on the standard of the data transmission link 3, of which only the necessary features have been preserved, as specified below; [0061] the module 8 (for example a module referred to as high) implements one or more operational functions, it is capable of being linked to the network 4 of the weapon system 2, as illustrated by a link 11, and it comprises a translation unit 12 which is configured: [0062] to translate a message referred to as a system message, received from the network 4 (by means of the link 11), into a message referred to as an intermediate message, before transmission by the transmission link 10 to the module 9; and [0063] to translate an intermediate message received by means of the transmission link 10 into at least one system message, before transmission (by means of the link 11) to the network 4; and [0064] the module 9 (for example a module referred to as low) implements one or more communication functions, it is capable of being linked to the communication unit 5, as illustrated by a link 13, and it comprises an encoding/decoding unit 14 which is configured: [0065] to encode an intermediate message received from the module 8 (by means of the transmission link 10) into a standard message of the tactical data link, before transmission to the communication unit 5 (by means of the link 13), and [0066] to decode a standard message received (by means of the link 13) and translate said message into an intermediate message, before transmission to the module 8 (by means of the transmission link 10).

[0067] Each of the modules 8 and 9 can be a component of a DLP (data link processor).

[0068] In the context of the present invention: [0069] the weapon system 2 represents an assembly of mechanical, electronic and/or software devices allowing the military to carry out a mission and implement weaponry. Said system can be fixed on or put on board a land-based vehicle, a ship or an aircraft; [0070] the network 4 of the weapon system 2 comprises a data processing, calculation and/or control unit which implements conventional algorithms to control the weapon system. Generally, said network 4 represents the core of the weapon system and makes it possible to interact with all the functions of the weapon system, for example the management of the tactical situation, the states of the subsystems, the arming commands, etc.; [0071] the communication unit 5 corresponds to any type of conventional communication means which makes it possible to communicate, by means of a wired or radio link 6 for example, with the tactical data link 3; [0072] an operational function is a function carried out by the weapon system 2, relating to the operation and the implementation of the weapon system 2; [0073] a communication or data transmission function is a function relating to the management and to the implementation of data transmission.

[0074] With this architecture of the interface 1 comprising two separate modules 8 and 9, the tasks of creating the content of a message (implemented by the module 8) are decorrelated from the tasks of formatting and transmitting the message (implemented by the module 9). It is thus planned, from a DLP library, to add a standardised and simplified interface 1 between functions (in the module 8) which have a strong link to the (operational) weapon system and functions (in the module 9) which have a benefit that relates solely to the (technical) data link.

[0075] In order to allow the transmission of all possible information by means of the standard data link (for example a L16 link) and to avoid interpretation errors on the part of the module 9, a selection of useful fields is not carried out: there is a 1-to-1 correspondence between the standard messages and the intermediate messages.

[0076] Furthermore, so as to be easy to implement and decode, the transmission link 10 (for the intermediate messages) is relieved of the encoding constraints of the standard. The information is encoded into a conventional computing type (int, double, char, etc.) and into SI units.

[0077] The transmission link 10 is asynchronous and bidirectional. Said link is not constrained in terms of emission rate or synchronisation (each component emits information when desired).

[0078] The interface 1 is thus configured to make it possible to transmit all useful information, to be easy to integrate, and to make changes.

[0079] The interface 1 allows the developer of the weapon system 2 to facilitate integrating and changing the tactical data links in the weapon system 2 in order to gain scalability, whilst maintaining control of the weapon system 2, reducing costs, preserving the reliability of the link and building on the skills of tactical data link specialists.

[0080] The module 8 of the interface 1 thus ensures the translation between the system messages and the intermediate messages, and vice versa. The relationship between system messages and intermediate messages is not one-to-one.

[0081] The module 8 is configured to apply first predetermined rules of system message emission corresponding to the emission policy (when to send a message, what message to send with what content), according to the state of the system and the system messages received.

[0082] Furthermore, the module 8 comprises a selection unit 15 which carries out an operational selection of the information to be transmitted by means of the transmission link 10. Said selection unit 15 also carries out synthesis of the states of the system.

[0083] The module 8 also comprises a verification unit 16 which, during reception, verifies the operational consistency of a message (completion of the data to be interpreted correctly by the system, consistency of the data of the message) and translates the message into one or more system messages. The verification of the consistency of the data can consist in verifying fields which must be filled and fields with a range of permissible values. These verifications can be conditional on a field being filled (if a field X is completed, then a field Y must also be completed).

[0084] In addition, the module 8 implements rules for translation in emission and rules for translation in reception. A translation rule in emission specifies the correspondence between fields of a system message and fields of an intermediate message, as well as the conversion type. In addition, a translation rule in reception specifies the correspondence between fields of an intermediate message and fields of one or more system messages. A plurality of conversion rules can be specified on the basis of a state or of a specific value of a field.

[0085] Furthermore, the module 9 of the interface 1 thus translates the intermediate messages into standard messages (STANAG) by means of the encoding/decoding unit 14. The relationship between the intermediate messages and the standard messages is one-to-one.

[0086] The module 9 connects to the communication unit 5 (radio, router, etc.) whilst observing a standard protocol (STANAG, for example SIMPLE, JREAP, etc.) or proprietary protocol.

[0087] The module 9 comprises a management unit 17 which manages the connection rate (type of messages, subsampling of messages, management of priorities, etc.). Said module applies rules of message emission which correspond to the emission policy selected by the operator. In the case of the JREAP protocol (joint range extension applications protocol), the module 9 simulates the communication unit by emitting machine acknowledgements of receipt.

[0088] The module 9 also comprises a verification unit 18 which, in reception, verifies the correct formatting of the messages.

[0089] In a preferred embodiment, said transmission link 10 is reproduced (whilst being simplified) on a standard tactical data link (which is complex), preferably of one of the following types: [0090] a L16 link (J-series); [0091] a L11 link (M-series); [0092] a L22 link (J-series).

[0093] Of course, this list of possible tactical data links is not exclusive.

[0094] In a preferred embodiment, the tactical data link considered is a L16 link. The L16 link is a NATO tactical data link standard for exchanging tactical information between military units. The content of the messaging thereof and the emission protocol are defined by STANAG 5516 for NATO. The operational implementation thereof is defined in the document NATO ADatP 33, which is a set of procedures allowing the implementation of a network of multi-link tactical data links, and ADatP 16, which is specific to the L16 link.

[0095] To create the intermediate messages (relating to the L16 standard for example), the interface 1 (and in particular the module 9) takes into account the following features: [0096] physical values (LSB, etc.): double SI unit; [0097] listed: short, L16 encoding; [0098] characters (TN, VCS, etc.): char string; [0099] listed Boolean: short (Boolean); [0100] listed hybrid (physical values with LSB +listed, for example voice frequency channel): short with L16 encoding, no conversion; and [0101] switch (listed indicating which field is active). All possible fields are included in the intermediate message (listed and possible fields).

[0102] The details of the composition of the intermediate messages can change according to the requirements and constraints of the weapon system. Thus, some of the above rules can be modified. In particular, it is possible to provide for: [0103] the selection of only some of a standard message, by removing the parts which are completely useless to the system; [0104] the use of a non-SI unit, for example to avoid unnecessary double conversions; and [0105] the addition of constraints on flow rate on the intermediate link. This addition may be necessary if the flow rate of the system messages is too high.

[0106] The interface 1, as described above, thus has a modular architecture which separates the operational functions from the communication (or transmission) functions. More specifically, the module 8 carries out the operational functions. It compiles the information to be emitted and directs the information received. The developer of the weapon system thus maintains total control of the messages sent, whilst subcontracting the data transmission functions (implemented by the module 9) which are not part of their core competencies. This modular and scalable architecture limits the impact of a modification to a(n operational or communication) function in a module 8, 9 on the other module 9, 8, and makes it easier to completely replace the module 8 or 9.

[0107] The interface 1 thus makes it possible to: [0108] easily change the behaviour of the weapon system 2 on the tactical data link, without constraints linked to the aspects of communication; and [0109] easily change the standards or communication means 15 without impacting the weapon system 2.

[0110] The interface 1 is thus simple and easy to implement.

[0111] Said interface is easily scalable in order to adhere to the modifications to the components. It concentrates on the content of the message, but without having ambiguities which necessitate interpretations of the module 9 (transmission of the information).

[0112] In a specific embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the interface 1 comprises a single module 8 and at least two modules 9A and 9B, each of which is linked to said module 8 by means of a transmission link 10.

[0113] In this case, the interface 2 can be used to connect the weapon system 2 to a plurality of different tactical data links (by means of said modules 9A and 9B). The module 8 then manages a plurality of data links and processes the messages according to the requirements of the weapon system 2 (with a possible adaptation in real time). The different transmission links 10 are designed in the same way and can share the same communication means.

[0114] Furthermore, in a first variant (not shown), the interface 1 comprises at least two hardware elements. The module 8 is integrated in one of said hardware elements, and the module 9 is integrated in the other of said hardware elements.

[0115] Furthermore, in a second variant (not shown), the interface 1 comprises a hardware element. The modules 8 and 9 are both integrated in this same hardware element.

[0116] The software interface of the interface 1 is not imposed. Said interface can be produced by means of a conventional network connection (UDP, TCP, etc.) in order to distribute the software components over different machines or even in order to integrate one of the DLP components by means of the API or even integrate source code, the interface then being an interface of software functions.