Maneuver Quality Research Articles

Is It Possible to Perform Quality Neonatal CPR While Maintaining Skin-to-Skin Contact? A Crossover Simulation Study.

Background: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and quality of resuscitation maneuvers performed on a newborn over the mother's body while maintaining SSC and delayed cord clamping. Methods: A randomized crossover manikin study compared standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation (Std-CPR) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation during SSC (SSC-CPR). Nursing students (n = 40) were recruited and trained in neonatal CPR. The quality of the CPR, including compression and ventilation variables, was evaluated using Laerdal Resusci Baby QCPR® manikins. Findings: No significant differences were found in the compression variables between the Std-CPR and the SSC-CPR. The quality variables demonstrated comparable results between the two techniques. The quality of the compressions showed medians of 74% for the Std-CPR and 74% for the SSC-CPR (p = 0.79). Similarly, the quality of the ventilations displayed medians of 94% for the Std-CPR and 96% for the SSC-CPR (p = 0.12). The overall CPR quality exhibited medians of 75% for the Std-CPR and 82% for the SSC-CPR (p = 0.06). Conclusions: Performing CPR on a newborn over the mother's body during SSC is feasible and does not compromise the quality of resuscitation maneuvers. This approach may offer advantages in preserving maternal-newborn bonding and optimizing newborn outcomes. Further studies are needed to address the limitations of this research, including the use of simulations that may not fully replicate real-life conditions, the lack of analysis of different types of labor, and the unpredictability of the maternal response during resuscitation.

Be the hero project, assessing the quality of basic life support skills in school-age children

BackgroundOut-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) ranks as the third leading cause of death, with a survival rate of less than 10%. Although 70% of these incidents are witnessed by laypeople, only one-third receive Basic Life Support (BLS). Educating school-age children (SAC) in BLS is an effective strategy to increase the rate of bystander BLS and subsequently improve survival. We aimed to determine whether there is the physical capacity to perform chest compressions (CT) with the required technical quality in SAC, determining the optimal age to begin BLS training in schools and if there are gender differences in performing BLS.AimEvaluate the capacity to learn and the quality of BLS maneuvers performed by SAC.MethodsDuring a four-month period BLS training sessions, led by nurses, were conducted in schools in Oeiras, Portugal. These sessions targeted students aged 14 to 18. Each session lasted 100 min.ResultsA total of 734 SAC were trained. All students were able to provide CT with the appropriate depth. Male students performed deeper and more successful CT and female students were able to achieve better recoil.ConclusionsSAC aged 14–18 years old were able to learn and perform high-quality BLS. The findings showed no differences in results based on gender. Additionally, short practice sessions of 100 min, led by nurses, appear to be sufficient for the retention and execution of high-quality BLS.

A Qualitative Analysis to Determine the Critical Features of a Frontside Bottom Turn in Professional Surfing.

Surfing bottom turns underpin the quality of subsequent maneuvers, and surfing performance overall. Despite this, no study has investigated coaching cues to determine their association with performance. This study investigated the frontside bottom turn, to identify critical features associated with quality performance, and second to determine whether any of these features could predict whether a surfer would subsequently perform either a cutback or a top turn maneuver. Videos of every frontside bottom turn from all finals heats of the 2017 World Surf League, Corona Open Jeffrey's Bay event were analyzed. A total of 199 frontside bottom turns were identified and categorized as either a bottom turn leading to a cutback maneuver (n = 106), or a bottom turn leading to a top turn maneuver (n = 93). A checklist of 47 potential critical features was developed after consultation with coaching and competition judging experts, thereby enabling a systematic analysis of each turn to determine the expected and actual frequency of occurrence for each potential feature. Consequently, an extensive list of critical features of the frontside bottom turn was identified and associated with a high level of performance, being executed successfully by professional athletes during high-stakes competition. Several features, particularly during the exit phase of the bottom turn, also helped predict whether these athletes subsequently performed either a cutback or a top turn maneuver. The findings of this study provide surf coaches with cues that can be used as a guide to effectively coach two main frontside bottom turn variations.

Is It Feasible to Perform Infant CPR during Transfer on a Stretcher until Cannulation for Extracorporeal CPR? A Randomization Simulation Study.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) improves infant survival outcomes after cardiac arrest. If not feasible at the place of arrest, victims must be transported to a suitable room to perform ECMO while effective, sustained resuscitation maneuvers are performed. The objective of this simulation study was to compare the quality of resuscitation maneuvers on an infant manikin during simulated transfer on a stretcher (stretcher test) within a hospital versus standard stationary resuscitation maneuvers (control test). A total of 26 nursing students participated in a randomized crossover study. In pairs, the rescuers performed two 2 min tests, consisting of five rescue breaths followed by cycles of 15 compressions and two breaths. The analysis focused on CPR variables (chest compression and ventilation), CPR quality, the rate of perceived exertion and the distance covered. No differences were observed in the chest compression quality variable (82 ± 10% versus 84 ± 11%, p = 0.15). However, significantly worse values were observed in the test for ventilation quality on the stretcher (18 ± 14%) compared to the control test (28 ± 21%), with a value of p = 0.030. Therefore, the overall CPR quality was worse in the stretcher test (50 ± 9%) than in the control test (56 ± 13%) (p = 0.025). Infant CPR performed by nursing students while walking alongside a moving stretcher is possible. However, in this model, the global CPR quality is less due to the low ventilation quality.

Improving assessment of procedural skills in health sciences education: a validation study of a rubrics system in neurophysiotherapy

BackgroundThe development of procedural skills is essential in health sciences education. Rubrics can be useful for learning and assessing these skills. To this end, a set of rubrics were developed in case of neurophysiotherapy maneuvers for undergraduates. Although students found the rubrics to be valid and useful in previous courses, the analysis of the practical exam results showed the need to change them in order to improve their validity and reliability, especially when used for summative purposes. After reviewing the rubrics, this paper analyzes their validity and reliability for promoting the learning of neurophysiotherapy maneuvers and assessing the acquisition of the procedural skills they involve.MethodsIn this cross-sectional and psychometric study, six experts and 142 undergraduate students of a neurophysiotherapy subject from a Spanish university participated. The rubrics’ validity (content and structural) and reliability (inter-rater and internal consistency) were analyzed. The students’ scores in the subject practical exam derived from the application of the rubrics, as well as the rubrics’ criteria difficulty and discrimination indices were also determined.ResultsThe rubrics´ content validity was found to be adequate (Content Validity Index > 0.90). These showed a unidimensional structure, and an acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.71) and inter-rater reliability (Fleiss’ ƙ=0.44, ICC = 0.94). The scores of the subject practical exam practically covered the entire range of possible theoretical scores, showing all the criterion medium-low to medium difficulty indices - except for the one related to the physical therapist position-. All the criterion exhibited adequate discrimination indices (rpbis > 0.39), as did the rubric as a whole (Ferguson’s δ = 0.86). Students highlighted the rubrics´ usefulness for learning the maneuvers, as well as their validity and reliability for formative and summative assessment.ConclusionsThe changed rubrics constitute a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating the execution quality of neurophysiotherapy maneuvers from a summative evaluation viewpoint. This study facilitates the development of rubrics aimed at promoting different practical skills in health-science education.

Basic life support training for people with disabilities. A scoping review

BackgroundThe integration of populations with various types of disabilities into basic life support (BLS) training programs could contribute to a potential increase in trained laypersons with BLS knowledge and, consequently, in survival rates. The objective of this study was to analyze the distinct educational methods which exist today on BLS for people with some type of specific disability, and to evaluate their impact on the quality of BLS maneuvers. MethodsA scoping review in which the different training strategies in BLS for people with distinctive disabilities were analyzed was carried out. Previous studies were sought and researched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from the beginning up to 4 August 2023. ResultsA total of 14 studies were thoroughly analyzed. The BLS training strategies for people with disabilities were classified according to the following criteria: objective (training, content validation or analysis of learning barriers), target population (visual, hearing, physical disabilities or Down syndrome), training resources (training with/without adaptation), contents (BLS and use of the automated external defibrillator) and evaluation instrument (i.e., the simulation test and knowledge questionnaire). The variety of BLS training programs for such population is limited. Likewise, people with different disabilities are able to effectively learn BLS maneuvers, although with mixed results, mainly in those regarding the CPR quality. ConclusionPeople with visual, hearing disabilities or Down syndrome are able to effectively learn BLS maneuvers.

The Use of the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

A cardiopulmonary arrest is a critical event whose survival rate is related to the quality of resuscitation maneuvers combined with the use of technology. It is important to understand the perception of fatigue during this procedure, aiming to improve the effectiveness of compressions to increase the chances of survival. To apply the Borg rating of perceived exertion scale (Borg scale) to analyze the exertion perceived by nurses during cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers using a feedback device. Experimental study with a randomized distribution of nurses in a teaching hospital. Perceived exertion during simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation with/without a feedback device was assessed using the Borg scale. The statistical significance level of 5% was adopted. 69 nurses working in critical and non-critical adult care units were included. Perceived exertion and heart rate were lower in the intervention group (p<0.001), influenced by the feedback device, with no significant difference between critical and non-critical units. The Borg scale proved to be adequate for the proposed objectives. The feedback device contributed to lower exertion and heart rate reduction during resuscitation maneuvers. The low cost and ease of application favor its use during training and real-time resuscitation attempts to assess performance using a feedback device to reduce exertion and perception of fatigue. It allows reflection on the intervening factors and resources that can influence the quality of resuscitation attempts and the chances of survival.

Flight maneuver intelligent recognition based on deep variational autoencoder network

The selection and training of aircraft pilots has high standards, long training cycles, high resource consumption, high risk, and high elimination rate. It is the particularly urgent and important requirement for the current talent training strategy of national and military to increase efficiency and speed up all aspects of pilot training, reduce the training cycle and reduce the elimination rate. To this end, this paper uses deep variational auto-encoder network and adaptive dynamic time warping algorithms as support to explore the establishment of an integrated evaluation system for flight maneuver recognition and quality evaluation, solve the industry difficulty faced by current flight training data mining applications, and achieve accurate recognition and reliable quality evaluation of flight regimes under the background of high mobility. It will fully explore the benefits of existing airborne flight data for military trainee pilots, support the personalized and accurate training of flight talents, and reduce the rate of talent elimination.

CFD-based hydrodynamic analyses of ship course keeping control and turning performance in irregular waves

Ship manoeuvrability studies are usually carried out in calm and regular seas; however, an irregular sea state can better present the real operational conditions at sea, compared to both calm and regular seas. In this study, the manoeuvrability of a well-known benchmarking ship in an irregular sea state was investigated using a fully nonlinear unsteady RANS model. The JONSWAP spectrum was used to generate long-crested irregular seas with a significant wave height of 5m and a peak period of 12.4s in full scale, representing sea state 6. Comparisons with the ship manoeuvrability in both calm and regular seas were also made with a view to identifying the changes in the manoeuvring characteristics of the ship. The generated regular waves were characterised by the height and period equivalent to the average height and period of the irregular waves applied in this work. The ship is equipped with a single propeller with a semi-balanced horn rudder, and the propeller is simulated by an actuator disk model based on the body force method. In analysing the correlations between the ship manoeuvrability and the irregular waves, the findings of this study have demonstrated that the irregular waves may cause substantial changes in the course keeping capability and turning performance when compared to the inherent manoeuvring qualities in calm water. It is expected that the results of this work can provide a deeper insight into ship manoeuvrability in irregular waves as well as help masters and navigation officers in decision-making for ship handling actions in real sea states.

Sensitivity Analysis and Flight Tests Results for a Vertical Cold Launch Missile System

In vertical cold launch the missile starts without the function of the main engine. Over the launcher, the attitude of the missile is controlled by a set of lateral thrusters. However, a quick turn might be disturbed by various uncertainties. This study discusses the problem of the influences of disturbances and the repeatability of lateral thrusters’ ignition on the pitch maneuver quality. The generic 152.4 mm projectile equipped in small, solid propellant lateral thrusters was used as a test platform. A six degree of freedom mathematical model was developed to execute the Monte-Carlo simulations of the launch phase and to prepare the flight test campaign. The parametric analysis was performed to investigate the influence of system uncertainties on quick turn repeatability. A series of ground laboratory trials was accomplished. Thirteen flight tests were completed on the missile test range. The flight parameters were measured using an onboard inertial measurement unit and a ground vision system. It was experimentally proved that the cold vertical launch maneuver could be realized properly with at least two lateral motors. It was found that the initial roll rate of the projectile and the lateral thrusters ‘igniters’ uncertainties could affect the pitch angle achieved and must be minimized to reduce the projectile dispersion.

Be the hero: Evaluation of the quality of basic life support manoeuvres by school-age children

Background: Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) is the third leading cause of death in developed countries, with a survival rate less than 10%. Actually, although 70% of OHCA episodes are witnessed by laypeople only a third receive Basic Life Support (BLS). In Portugal, bystander-performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) rate is still below 17%, with a survival rate of 4%. One of the most effective ways to increase bystander CPR is by training school-age children in BLS and Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Aims: Evaluate the capacity to learn and the quality of BLS maneuvers performed by school-age children. Methods: During a four-month period (interruption due to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic), BLS-AED teaching sessions were provided across schools in Oeiras, Portugal. It is considered that children older than 14 years old are able to perform quality chest compressions. Thus, classes from 14 to 18 years old were selected. Each session lasted 100 mins and was provided by nurses, with a ratio of one nurse to six students. Laerdal Medical's QCPR® software was used to measure and collect data of the quality of chest compressions. According to QCPR®, CPR is considered high quality if the final score is higher than 84%. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 734 young people were trained, with a median score of 97% (89–99) on the final QCPR® score. All students were able to provide chest compressions with the appropriate depth (>5 cm), 82% (44–96) provided chest compress at the recommended rate (100–120 bpm), and median compression rate of 112 (106–119) cpm. Male students performed deeper and more successful compressions but with less recoil than female students. Conclusions: School-age children aged 14–18 years old were able to learn and perform high-quality BLS maneuvers. We consider these results can have relevant public-health implications.

Prediction of a research vessel manoeuvring using numericalPMM and free running tests

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations insist on reduced emission of CO2, noxious and other environmentally dangerous gases from ship, which are usually let out while burning fossil fuel for running its propulsive machinery. Contrallability of ship during sailing has a direct implication on its course keeping and changing ability, and tries to have an optimised routing. Bad coursekeeping ability of a ship may lead to frequent use of rudder and resulting changes in the ship\'s drift angle. Consequently, it increases vessels resistance and also may lead to longer path for its journey due to zigzag movements. These adverse effects on the ship journey obviously lead to the increase in fuel consumption and higher emission. Hence, IMO has made it mandatory to evaluate the manoeuvring qualities of a ship at the designed stage itself. In this paper a numerical horizontal planar motion mechanism is simulated in CFD environment and from the force history, the hydrodynamic derivatives appearing in the manoeuvring equation of motion of a ship are estimated. These derivatives along with propeller thrust and rudder effects are used to simulate different standard manoeuvres of the vessel and check its parameters against the IMO requirements. The present study also simulates these manoeuvres by using numerical free running model for the same ship. The results obtained from both these studies are presented and discussed here.

Biomimetic design of dorsal fins for AUVs to enhance maneuverability

We demonstrate that shape-changing or morphing fins provide a new paradigm for improving the ability of vehicles to maneuver and move rapidly underwater. An ingenuous solution is employed by fish to accommodate both the need for stability of locomotion and the ability to perform tight maneuvers: Retractable fins can alter the stability properties of a vehicle to suit their particular goals. Tunas, for example, are large fish that are fast swimmers and yet they need rapid turning agility to track the smaller fish they pursue; they have perfected the use of their dorsal and ventral fins to ensure stability when retracted and rapid turning when erected. Although fish employ unsteady propulsors rather than propellers, we show that engineering rigid-hull underwater vehicles can also exploit similar solutions. We explore the basic flow mechanisms and design considerations of employing morphing fins to alter the stability and maneuvering qualities of vehicles and apply unsteady forces and moments under active control. We also show results from maneuvering simulations and experiments on a model of an underwater vehicle.

Diffusing Capacity of the Lung for Carbon Monoxide in Mexican/Latino Children. Quality Control and Reference Values.

Single-breath diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DlCOsb) values are used to evaluate gas exchange; however, the quality of maneuvers performed by children has not been evaluated, and reference values for young people living at moderate altitudes are not well established. Our objectives were 1) to determine whether DlCOsb maneuvers performed by a pediatric population would meet 2017 European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society (ERS/ATS) quality control standards; and 2) to report normal DlCOsb values for Mexican/Latino children and adolescents living at moderate altitudes. This study involved healthy young people 4-20 years of age from the metropolitan area of Mexico City (2,240 m above sea level) who were recruited in schools from July 2014 to August 2017. DlCOsb testing was performed according to the 2005 ATS/ERS standards, and the quality control of each maneuver was analyzed according to the 2017 ERS/ATS standards. We constructed models for DlCOsb with linear and quadratic terms for weight, height, and age as independent variables using shrinkage statistics, variance inflation factors, the Akaike information criterion, and R2 to compare the results of different models. Results were obtained for 420 individuals (53% boys) with a mean age of 11.7 ± 4.5 standard deviation (SD) years; 47% of maneuvers from children age 4-6 years were grade A (13% grade B), and 90% of those in children older than 13 years were grade A or B. Forty-six percent of the subjects had a DlCOsb repeatability of <1 ml/min/mm Hg. The mean DlCOsb was higher for boys than for girls (32.4 ± 13.6 [SD] vs. 24.1 ± 7.5 ml/min/mm Hg, respectively). The reference equation for boys was DlCOsb = exp(1.63469 + [0.03251 × age] + [0.00846 × height] + [0.00304 × weight]), R2 = 0.87; for girls, the best equation was DlCOsb = exp(1.56516 + [0.0193 × age] + [0.00893 × height] + [0.00273 × weight]), R2 = 0.75. The single-breath transfer coefficient of the lung for carbon monoxide remained constant with age and height, with a lower limit of normal of 6.5 ml/min/mm Hg/L in boys and 5.4 ml/min/mm Hg/L in girls. Measured DlCOsb was higher than predicted by other authors (P < 0.001 by paired t test). Individuals 4-20 years of age can complete high-quality DlCOsb tests. Children and adolescents living at 2,240 m have higher DlCOsb values than those living at sea level. Reference equations for DlCOsb obtained at sea level are poor predictors of the values measured at moderate altitude.

CFD analysis of turning abilities of a submarine model

A detailed analysis of the maneuvering qualities of a submarine vehicle is carried out by means of a general purpose unsteady RaNSe based CFD solver. In particular, free running maneuvering simulations are performed both at infinite depth and close to the free surface (snorkeling operation) at a reference speed corresponding to Fr=0.21; the analysis is restricted to three degrees of freedom (3DoF) maneuvers in the horizontal plane. The submarine model is equipped with two different control device arrangements, namely a cruciform and a X rudder configuration. The numerical results are presented in a phenomenological style and are partially validated with the experiments for the cruciform rudder configuration. Main finding highlights the superior turning abilities of the X rudder configuration with respect to the cruciform one. Moreover, it has been observed that, for the condition investigated and for both configurations, the stern appendages provide a destabilizing force only in the transient phase, while it acts as a fixed appendage during the steady turning phase. The study focuses also on the effect of grid refinement on both the maneuvering loads and the resulting dynamic response of the model. The analysis revealed that, at least for the present geometry and test, a rather coarse grid (order of millions of grid points) provides a reliable prediction of both the trajectory and kinematic parameters, but a rather inaccurate hydrodynamic loads estimation.

Study of Maneuverability of Container Ship With Nonlinear and Roll-Coupled Effects by Numerical Simulations Using RANSE-Based Solver

The examination of maneuvering qualities of a ship is necessary to ensure its navigational safety and prediction of trajectory. The study of maneuverability of a ship is a three-step process, which involves selection of a suitable mathematical model, estimation of the hydrodynamic derivatives occurring in the equation of motion, and simulation of the standard maneuvering tests to determine its maneuvering qualities. This paper reports the maneuvering studies made on a container ship model (S175). The mathematical model proposed by Son and Nomoto (1981, “On Coupled Motion of Steering and Rolling of a High Speed Container Ship,” J. Soc. Nav. Arch. Jpn., 150, pp. 73–83) suitable for the nonlinear roll-coupled steering model for high-speed container ships is considered here. The hydrodynamic derivatives are determined by numerically simulating the planar motion mechanism (PMM) tests in pure yaw and combined sway–yaw mode using an Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Equations (RANSE)-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. The tests are repeated with the model inclined at different heel angles to obtain the roll-coupled derivatives. Standard definitive maneuvers like turning tests at rudder angle, 35 deg and 20 deg/20 deg zig-zag maneuvers are simulated using the numerically obtained derivatives and are compared with those obtained using experimental values.

A Handling Study to Assess the Use of the Respimat® Soft Mist™ Inhaler in Children Aged 4–12 Years

The Respimat® Soft Mist™ Inhaler (SMI) is a hand-held device that generates an aerosol with a high fine-particle fraction, enabling efficient lung deposition. Inhalation therapy for children should be safe and effective. This study aimed to assess the success and the quality of inhalation maneuvers among children using the Respimat SMI. This single-center study was conducted at Mainz University Hospital, Germany, between March 2006 and August 2006. Ninety-nine children, aged 4–12 years, with asthma bronchiale or other atopic diseases, and their healthy siblings were included. Children with serious respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis or any chronic destructive or severe lung disease were excluded. Each child performed three inhalation maneuvers using the Respimat SMI. Inspiratory flow rate, inhaled volume, and timing of actuation for each inhalation maneuver were recorded using a pneumotachograph. Successful use and quality of inhalation maneuvers (inspiratory flow rate, theoretical inhaled dose fraction, and estimated lung deposition of the aerosol cloud) were assessed. Results were compared with respect to prior experience of inhaler use and between two age groups (4–8 years and 9–12 years). Ninety of 99 children achieved one or more successful maneuver. Overall, 75.1 % of inhalation maneuvers performed with the Respimat SMI were successful; the greatest success was seen in older versus younger children. Overall median estimated lung deposition was 67 %. Median inspiratory flow was 41.5 L/min, with slower rates noted in the younger children. Fifty-two percent of children inhaled faster than 40.0 L/min. Prior inhaler experience imparted no benefit in terms of success of inhalation maneuvers, overall, but was associated with some group differences in inhalation flow rate. Children can perform a successful inhalation maneuver with the Respimat SMI, with the greatest success rate in children aged >5 years.

실선시험에 의한 DWT 8,000톤 선박의 선회성능 – Semi–balanced rudder and flap rudder –

This study is intended to provide navigator with specific information necessary to assist the avoidance of collision and the operation of ships to evaluate the maneuverability of dead weight tonnage 8,000 tons Oil/Chemical tanker. The actual maneuvering characteristics of ship can be adequately judged from the results of typical ship trials. Author carried out sea trials based full scale for turning test in ballast condition and full load condition, semi balanced rudder and flap rudder. The turning circle maneuvering were performed on the starboard and port sides with rudder angle at the normal continuous rating. The results from tests could be compared directly with the standards of maneuverability of IMO and consequently the maneuvering qualities of the ship is full satisfied with its.

실선시험에 의한 DWT 8,000톤 선박의 조종성능 – Semi–balanced rudder and flap rudder –

This study is intended to provide navigator with specific information necessary to assist the avoidance of collision and the operation of ships to evaluate the maneuverability of dead weight tonnage 8,000 tons Oil/Chemical tanker. The actual maneuvering characteristics of ship can be adequately judged from the results of typical ship trials. Author carried out sea trials based full scale for turning test, Z maneuvering test, man overboard rescue maneuver test, inertia stopping test. Consequently, Overshoot yaw angle of the semi balanced rudder and flap rudder in zig-zag test showed and , respectively. The maneuverability of the vessel was good in the flap rudder. The man overboard rescue maneuver maneuverability test was most favorable in the flap rudder and the full load condition. The results from tests could be compared directly with the standards of maneuverability of IMO and consequently the maneuvering qualities of the ship is full satisfied with its.

Conceptual design of a low-cost real-time hardware-in-the-loop simulator for satellite attitude control system

Integration of flight hardware with real-time simulation increases satellite attitude control system (ACS) reliability by providing greater test coverage through end-to-end testing in a realistic test environment. In this paper, a compound hardware and software simulator has been designed for evaluation and testing of the spacecraft ACS, placing emphasis on the real-time hardware-in-loop (RTHIL) architecture. The environment comprises both real-time control and data acquisition applications on a network of ACS hardware, the MATLAB Real-Time Workshop, and a PCI device to join the hardware and software units. Moreover, a graphical 3D simulator has been designed, enabling the designers and researchers to intuitively analyze the quality of spacecraft maneuvers. Finally, an ad hoc attitude-stabilizing control law for magnetic actuated satellites has been proposed and implemented in the proposed environment and the efficiency, correctness, and robustness of this control law have been verified using RTHIL simulation results.