The application of computer simulation in a flight vehicle CAD system

Abstract

This paper describes an effort in applying computer simulation to the design of flight vehicle systems. The flight vehicle computer aided design (CAD) system is in itself a simulation of the designer's thinking processes. The system includes many modules to simulate the knowledge structure of a designer group. And it is possible to be adjusted and replenished in time just as in the case of human designers who have to do likely. It is able to input, output, store and generale information under external human manipulation, together with inter-exchanges of data between its modules within the system. The design process goes on iteratively just like in the case with human designers.Several examples of applying simulation techniques to the CAD system are then presented. They includes a flight dynamics simulation module, a strapdown inertial navigation subsystem simulation module and a simulation approach for an on-board seeking subsystem's scanning process.