Zugl.: München, Techn. Univ., Diss., 2007

Thesis--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 49).

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2010.

Techn. Universiẗat, Diss., 2005--München.

Ingeniero Civil Eléctrico / El estándar de nanosatélites Cubesat fue pensado para facilitar el desarrollo de pequeños proyectos espaciales con fines científicos y educacionales, a un bajo costo y en cortos periodos de tiempo. Siguiendo esta línea, la Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas de la Uni- versidad de Chile ha impulsado el proyecto SUCHAI, que consiste en implementar, poner en órbita y operar el primer satélite desarrollado por una universidad del país. El computador a bordo de la aeronave, que consiste un sistema embebido de limitada capacidad de cómputo, escasa memoria y bajo consumo de energía, debe ejecutar el software de vuelo que controlará sus operaciones una vez en órbita. El objetivo de este trabajo es el diseño e implementación de este software para el satélite SUCHAI, como una solución confiable, flexible y extensible que sea la base para futuras misiones aeroespaciales. El diseño del software consiste en una estructura de tres capas, que consigue dividir el problema convenientemente. La de más bajo nivel considera los controladores de hardware, la capa intermedia alberga al sistema operativo, y la de nivel superior, contiene los detalles de la aplicación requerida específicamente para este sistema. Para la arquitectura de la capa de aplicación, se estudia y aplica el concepto de patrón de diseño, en específico, se realiza una adaptación de command pattern. De esta manera, el satélite se concibe como un ejecutor de comandos genéricos y se obtiene una solución mantenible, modificable y extensible en el tiempo, mediante la programación de los comandos concretos que sean requeridos. La implementación se realiza sobre un PIC24F y considera controladores para los periféricos I2C, RS232 y SPI, así como para los subsistemas de radiocomunicaciones y energía. Se decide utilizar el sistema operativo FreeRTOS, como capa intermedia, lo que permite contar con el procesamiento concurrente de tareas, herramientas de temporización y sincronización. Se ha puesto especial énfasis en la implementación de la arquitectura planteada para la capa de aplicación, consiguiendo un software capaz de ejecutar una serie de comandos, programados para cumplir los requerimientos operacionales del proyecto, lo cual representa el método principal para extender sus funcionalidades y adecuarse a futuras misiones. Para probar y verificar el sistema desarrollado, se ha utilizado la técnica denominada hardware on the loop simulation. Se han obteniendo datos de funcionamiento, bajo condiciones de operación hipotéticas, a través del registro generado por la consola serial. Con esto se verifican los requerimientos operacionales de la misión, con resultados exitosos, obteniendo el sistema base y funcional del satélite. Como trabajo futuro, se utilizará este software para integrar el resto de los sistemas del satélite SUCHAI, demostrando su capacidad de adaptación y extensión, en un paso previo a la prueba final: funcionar adecuadamente en el espacio exterior.

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) modeling is a powerful way of modeling complicated systems. However, some hardware is expensive to use in terms of time or mechanical wear. In cases like these, optimizing using the hardware can be prohibitively expensive because of the number of calls to the hardware that are needed. Variable fidelity optimization can help overcome these problems. Variable fidelity optimization uses less expensive surrogates to optimize an expensive system while calling it fewer times. The surrogates are usually created from performing a design of experiments on the expensive model and fitting a surface to the results. However, some systems are too expensive to create a surrogate from. One such case is that of a flapping flight model. In this thesis, a technique for variable fidelity optimization of HIL has been created that optimizes a system while calling it as few times as possible. This technique is referred to as an intelligent DOE. This intelligent DOE was tested using simple models of various dimension. It was then used to find a flapping wing trajectory that maximizes lift. Through testing, the intelligent DOE was shown to be able to optimize expensive systems with fewer calls than traditional variable fidelity optimization would have needed. Savings as high as 97% were recorded. It was noted that as the number of design variables increased, the intelligent DOE became more effective by comparison because the number of calls needed by a traditional DOE based variable fidelity optimization increased faster than linearly, where the number of hardware calls for the intelligent increased linearly.

The objective of this research is to develop a customized hardware-in-the-loop system that is used to test Electronic Stability Program (ESP) systems to prevent heavy truck rollovers when navigating horizontal roadway curves. While most of the published literature on electronic stability control focuses on the effectiveness of stability systems in passenger cars, very few researchers have considered its application as it pertains to commercial vehicles. Detailed crash data that have been extracted from the crashes that are represented in the Large Truck Crash Causation Study database have been used to draw conclusions regarding the main cause of the crashes and the geometry of the road upon which the crashes occurred. Those crash scenarios were run through a hardware-in-the-loop system that communicates between the TruckSim software, a vehicle dynamics based simulation program, and a real-time tractor-trailer braking rig. The simulations were first run without the ESP enabled to determine the critical speed which will cause the truck to roll, then the same simulation runs were executed with the Bendix stability system enabled to determine the difference in speeds in which a rollover is inevitable with and without the technology. A third speed that represents the lowest speed in which the stability system activates was also determined. As requested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this study also serves as a comparison between the Bendix system and the Meritor WABCO system which has already been tested by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. / Master of Science

Essa dissertação tem por objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma plataforma para testes de controladores de voo. Tal plataforma consiste em um hardware executando algoritmos de controle e atuando numa aeronave simulada em software de simulação de voo. O software de simulação escolhido, baseado na experiência prática de pilotos profissionais, foi o Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS), para o qual desenvolveu-se o modelo gráfico e dinâmico do quadricóptero AscTec Pelican. A comunicação entre o MSFS e o hardware é feita pela interface USB através do software FVMS v2.0 desenvolvido em ambiente DELPHI® 7.0 exclusivamente para este trabalho. O FVMS é capaz de ler o estado das variáveis de voo no MSFS, enviá-las para o hardware externo executar o controle, receber os sinais de controle de volta e utilizá-los no MSFS. O projeto e execução do hardware externo com controlador dsPIC também foi realizado neste mesmo trabalho. A título de avaliação de desempenho, também foi implementado um controlador robusto do tipo H∞ linear, desenvolvido pela equipe ART (Aerial Robots Team) da Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos. O mesmo controlador também foi aplicado na arquitetura software in the loop, na qual o controle é executado dentro do próprio FVMS, para comparação de desempenho entre os dois sistemas. Ao término do trabalho, as características de desempenho do sistema como um todo ficam bem evidenciadas através dos testes de estabilidade com e sem distúrbios executados em ambas arquiteturas de controle. / This dissertation aims to develop a platform for flight controllers tests. It platform consists of an electronic hardware where the control\'s algorithms will be executed and a virtual aircraft is simulated in flight simulation software. The chosen simulation software, based on practical experience of professional pilots, was Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS). The graphic and dynamic model of quadrotor AscTec Pelican was developed to perform inside the software. The communication between the MSFS and the hardware is made by USB interface through FVMS v2.0 software developed in DELPHI® 7.0 environment, exclusively for this work. The FVMS can read the status of the flight variables in MSFS, send them to the external hardware, receive control signals back and write them in MSFS. The design and implementation of external hardware with dsPIC controller was also developed ons ame work. For performance evaluation of the system, it was also implemented a robust linear H∞ controller, developed by ART team (Aerial Robots Team) of the School of Engineering of São Carlos. The same controller was also applied using software in the loop architecture, in which the control is performed inside FVMS, to compare performance between the two architectures. In the end of the work, the performance characteristics of the systems were well evidenced by the stability tests carried out with and without disturbances in both control architectures.

o trabalho tem como objetivo o estudo e a aplicação da técnica de hardware-in-the-loop como uma ferramenta de suporte no processo de desenvolvimento de uma mão artificial robótica. Os esforços se concentram no desenvolvimento de um ambiente computacional e um ambiente experimental para trabalharem em conjunto e simultaneamente. No ambiente computacional foi desenvolvido o modelo do sistema simulado em tempo real. No ambiente experimental, partes do protótipo da mão robótica foram implementadas. Em ambos os casos, foram desenvolvidos e empregados um controlador seguidor multivariável. Adotando este tipo de abordagem, partes do sistema simulado em tempo real poderão ser substituídas - à medida de suas necessidades - por partes físicas, como por exemplo: sensores, atuadores e novos hardwares de controle, possibilitando uma considerável redução de investimento em hardware e de tempo de projeto. / The purpose of this work is the study and the application of the hardware-in-the-loop technique as a support tool in the development process of an artificial robotic hand. The efforts concentrate on the development of a computational and experimental environment to work together and simultaneously. In the computational environment, the simulated system model was developed in real-time. In the experimental environment, prototype parts of the robotic hand were implemented. In both cases, a multivariable controIler was developed and utilized. By adopting this approach, parts of the system simulated in real time can be substituted - according to the needs - by physical parts, such as: sensors, actuators, and new control hardware, allowing a considerable investment reduction in hardware and in time of project.

o trabalho tem como objetivo o estudo e a aplicação da técnica de hardware-in-the-loop como uma ferramenta de suporte no processo de desenvolvimento de uma mão artificial robótica. Os esforços se concentram no desenvolvimento de um ambiente computacional e um ambiente experimental para trabalharem em conjunto e simultaneamente. No ambiente computacional foi desenvolvido o modelo do sistema simulado em tempo real. No ambiente experimental, partes do protótipo da mão robótica foram implementadas. Em ambos os casos, foram desenvolvidos e empregados um controlador seguidor multivariável. Adotando este tipo de abordagem, partes do sistema simulado em tempo real poderão ser substituídas - à medida de suas necessidades - por partes físicas, como por exemplo: sensores, atuadores e novos hardwares de controle, possibilitando uma considerável redução de investimento em hardware e de tempo de projeto. / The purpose of this work is the study and the application of the hardware-in-the-loop technique as a support tool in the development process of an artificial robotic hand. The efforts concentrate on the development of a computational and experimental environment to work together and simultaneously. In the computational environment, the simulated system model was developed in real-time. In the experimental environment, prototype parts of the robotic hand were implemented. In both cases, a multivariable controIler was developed and utilized. By adopting this approach, parts of the system simulated in real time can be substituted - according to the needs - by physical parts, such as: sensors, actuators, and new control hardware, allowing a considerable investment reduction in hardware and in time of project.