Implementation of a hardware-in-the-loop facility for student test and evaluation

Abstract

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) test facilities offer the highest degree of system functional verification and performance evaluation outside of the actual operational environment. The design and analysis of HWIL simulators involves the coordinated efforts of numerous engineering fields, whose professionals possess the technical expertise, analytical skills, and insight regarding cross-discipline collaborative relationships which foster successful simulation development. As system complexity continues to increase, and as programmatic requirements allow for shorter simulation development schedules, the existing knowledge base associated with legacy HWIL simulation development will play a key role in the preparation, readiness, and efficiency of future HWIL engineering professionals. As a result, it is crucial that basic HWIL methods and concepts be specified in a formal, academic sense, and that realistic test facilities are made available to allow potential HWIL engineering students the opportunity to become acclimated to basic HWIL components and design considerations. To address this need, the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), in coordination with the Auburn University Department of Aerospace Engineering, has funded an initiative to perform initial development of a graduate-level HWIL simulation option, including the provision of a functioning HWIL simulation facility located at the university. This facility, modeled after a conceptual ballistic missile interceptor, will possess the major elements of a HWIL simulation including a Six-Degree-of-Freedom (6-DOF) simulation of the missile dynamics, an electro-optical (EO) sensor implementation, a flight motion simulator (FMS), a scene generation system, and an in-band image projection system. Architectural implementations and distributed simulation elements will be modeled after existing U.S. Army missile simulation concepts. In concert with this activity, an academic emphasis on HWIL simulation and student participation across all engineering disciplines will be developed at Auburn University, with HWIL facility development and subject matter expert (SME) interaction provided by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC). This paper describes the incremental approach being used in the development of the HWIL facility, and the academic objectives associated with student-centered simulation development and analysis.