Hardware-in-the-loop Simulation Systems Research Articles

Design and implementation of hardware in the loop simulation for electric ducted fan rocket control system using 8-bit microcontroller and real-time open source middleware

Hardware in the Loop Simulation (HILS) is intended to reduce time and development cost of control system design. HILS systems are mostly built by integrating both controller hardware and simulator software where the software is not an open source. Moreover, implementing HILS by using manufactured system is costly. This paper describes the design and implementation of HILS for Electric Ducted Fan (EDF) rocket by using open-source platform for development with middleware. This middleware system is used to bridge the data flow between controller hardware and simulator software. A low-cost ATMEGA 2560 8-bit microcontroller is used to calculate rocket’s attitude with Direction Cosine Matrix (DCM) algorithm and PID controller is employed to regulate rocket’s dynamics based on desired specifications. X-Plane 10 simulator software is used for generating simulated sensory data. The test results validate that HILS design meets the defined specifications, i.e. angle difference of 0.3 degrees and rise time of 0.149 seconds on pitch angle.

Hardware-in-the-loop simulation for the contact dynamic process of flying objects in space

In the one-gravity environment on the ground, the simulation of the contact process of two flying objects in the zero-gravity environment of space has been a challenging issue since humans first explored space by flying objects. Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation is an important and effective method to test the usability, reliability, and safety of real docking mechanisms in space. There are four main issues for HIL simulation systems: Design of simulators capable of high frequency response, high motion precision, high velocity, and rapid acceleration; compensation for simulation distortion; design of a control model for the HIL simulation process; and experimental verification. Here, we propose a novel HIL simulator system with a 6-DOF 3-3 perpendicular parallel mechanism and a 3-DOF 3-PRS parallel mechanism; discover the principle of simulation distortion; present distortion compensation models for the force measurement system, dynamic response, and structural dynamics of the simulator; and provide a control model for the HIL simulation process. Two kinds of experiments were performed on the passive-undamped elastic rod and the docking mechanisms to test their performances and to verify the effectiveness and usability of the HIL simulator. The HIL simulation system proposed in this paper is useful for developing space docking, berthing, refueling, repairing, upgrading, transporting, and rescuing technologies.

<b>Expansion of Frequency Range for Elastic Vibration Evaluation in Hardware in the Loop Simulation Systems for Railway Vehicles</b>

A ‘Virtual Running Test Environment' has been in development, based on Hardware In the Loop Simulation (HILS) technology to emulate, in detail, railway vehicle motion on real tracks. The existing HILS system only reproduces the rigid body motion of a railway vehicle while running. In order to create a more realistic virtual running test environment, trials have been conducted to expand the frequency range of the HILS system to include and evaluate the elastic vibration of railway vehicle carbodies. This paper reports on frequency enhancement of the test equipment and about the construction of the numerical model including reproduction of elastic vibration.

Conception systématique des simulateurs temps réel hardware-in-the-loop. Application aux systèmes de conversion éolienne

. This paper deals with systematically applying a modern principle of designing real-time simulators, namely the HILS (hardware-in-the-loop simulation) concept, consisting in closed-loop connecting physical and software parts, in order to replicate in laboratory conditions the dynamic behaviour of an industrial process. The software part results from modelling the real system to be simulated, whereas the physical part is taken as it is from this system. Principles of HILS systems are first presented, then a systematic design procedure is proposed and illustrated by building a simulator dedicated to variable-speed wind energy conversion systems. The architecture and possibilities of this simulator are suggested by amply discussing the most relevant experimental results. Some concluding remarks finish this paper.