Real-time implementation of motion drive algorithms for 6 DOF flight simulators

• Grant number: 17/14195-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2017
• End date: September 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio Becerra Vargas
• Grantee: Matheus Nepomuceno Pena
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

A flight simulator is a virtual reality tool that gives the pilot an impression that he/she flies an actual aircraft. The simulator normally consists of several subsystems, among them, the motion system. The motion system provides inertial cues to stimulate the sensation of self-motion as it would occur in the aircraft. However, the driving mechanism have a significantly smaller range of motion compared to the real aircraft, therefore, it is impossible to exactly reproduce the aircraft motion cues in a simulator. The motion drive algorithm is used to reproduce the motion cues realistically as possible without hitting the physical limits of the simulator. In this context, the present project aim to development a real-time implementation of motion drive algorithms for flight simulators driven by a 6 DOF parallel robot. First, relevant mathematical models of the parallel robot, motion drive algorithm and aircraft dynamic model are developed. Aircraft trajectories will be generated by using X-Plane and an IMU sensor is used to estimate the velocity and acceleration of the robot. Then, real time communication between X-plane and Simulink/Dspace is implemented. After that, motion drive algorithm tuning and implementation in Simulink/Dspace is carried out. Finally, performance indicators to evaluate the flight simulator fidelity are calculated. (AU)