Hardware-in-the-loop Facilities Research Articles

Nanosatellite-class dynamic attitude simulator for hands-on aerospace control education

Abstract Due to their low size, mass, development cost and time, nanosatellites have become an increasingly popular tool at universities for providing students with hands-on experience in aerospace education. Among spacecraft subsystems, the attitude determination and control one surely represents a fruitful resource for practicing aerospace control applications. To enable on-ground verification of spacecraft attitude control hardware and software, however, the biggest challenge to overcome is that of providing a representative testing environment. Towards this end, at the µ3S laboratory at the University of Bologna a dynamic hardware in the loop facility has been developed, which allows for testing attitude control subsystems of nanosatellites in the range of 1U to 3U, according to the CubeSat form factor. This paper describes the educational impact that the facility has been having, during both its development and commissioning phases, as well as its early use as a testbed for CubeSats attitude control, which is currently focused on magnetic-based actuation.

A road map to the detection performance of LFM-PC search radars with CFAR detectors

Pulse Compression (PC) radars are used to resolve the problem of designing long range radar systems with excellent range resolution. PC provides radar system with additional processing gain that enhances its detection capability. Among the different types of pulse compression waveforms, Linear Frequency Modulated (LFM) signals are the most tolerant to high Doppler shifts. This is why LFM-PC radars are widely utilized with high speed targets. However, the literature lacks a complete mathematical or simulation model to evaluate the its detection performance. This paper introduces a typical simulation model for search radar that is verified mathematically. The proposed model includes matched filter (MF), moving target detector (MTD), two different constant false alarm rate (CFAR) algorithms and LFM signal sidelobes on radar detection are to be considered. Two simulation models are introduced. Firstly, the Matlab simulation is introduced to verify the mathematical model and the theory. Secondly, the SystemVue simulation is applied to be used in the future work with the hardware in the loop facility.

A Hardware-in-the-Loop Facility for Integrated Vehicle Dynamics Control System Design and Validation

Abstract: Due to the increased number and the complexity of the embedded systems in today’s vehicle, there is ever increasing pressure to reduce the development cost and time to market of such systems. In recent years, Model based Development (MBD) is becoming a main stream in the development of automotive embedded systems, and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) testing is one of the key steps toward the implementation of MBD approach. This paper presents the recent HiL facility that has been developed at Cranfield University. The HiL setup includes real steering and brake smart actuator, high fidelity validated vehicle model, complete rapid control prototyping tool chain, and driver-in-the-loop capability. The applications of HiL setup are including but not limited to: smart actuators system identification; rapid control development and early validation of standalone and/or integrated vehicle dynamics control systems. Furthermore, the facility can be employed for investigation on driver-vehicle interaction at the presence of standalone active steering and/or brake systems as well as various Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS), such as lane keeping or adaptive cruise control systems. The capability of the HiL facility for validation of a several newly developed vehicle dynamics control systems is presented.

The Pransky interview: Dr Robert Ambrose, Chief, Software, Robotics and Simulation Division at NASA

Purpose – This paper, a “Q & A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal, aims to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding the evolution, commercialization and challenges of bringing a technological invention to market. Design/methodology/approach – The interviewee is Dr Robert Ambrose, Chief, Software, Robotics and Simulation Division at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. As a young child, even before he started school, Dr Ambrose knew, after seeing the Apollo 11 moonshot, that he wanted to work for NASA. Dr Ambrose describes his career journey into space robotics and shares his teams’ experiences and the importance of the development of Robonaut, a humanoid robotic project designed to work with humans both on Earth and in space. Findings – Dr Ambrose received his MS and BS degrees in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr Ambrose heads the flight spacecraft software, space robotics and system simulations for human spaceflight missions. He oversees on-orbit robotic systems for the International Space Station (ISS), the development of software for the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and future human spaceflight systems, simulations for engineering development and training, hardware in the loop facilities for anomaly resolution and crew training and the technology branch for development of new robotic systems. Dr Ambrose also serves as a Principal Investigator for NASA’s Space Technologies Mission Directorate, overseeing research and formulating new starts in the domains of robotics and autonomous systems. He co-chairs the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) Robotics, Tele-Robotics and Autonomous Systems roadmap team for the agency’s technology program, and is the robotics lead for the agency’s human spaceflight architecture study teams. Working with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Dr Ambrose is the Technical Point of Contact for NASA’s collaboration in the National Robotics Initiative (NRI). Originality/value – Dr Ambrose not only realized his own childhood dream by pursuing a career at NASA, but he also fulfilled a 15-year national dream by putting the first humanoid robot into space. After seeking a graduate university that would allow him to do research at NASA, it didn’t take long for Dr Ambrose to foresee that the importance of NASA’s future would be in robots and humans working side-by-side. Through the leadership of Dr Ambrose, NASA formed a strategic partnership with General Motors (GM) and together they built Robonaut, a highly dexterous, anthropomorphic robot. The latest Robonaut version, R2, has nearly 50 patents available for licensing. One of the many technology spinoffs from R2 is the innovative Human Grasp Assist device, or Robo-Glove, designed to increase the strength of a human’s grasp.