Representation of grossone-based arithmetic in simulink for scientific computing

AbstractNumerical computing is a key part of the traditional computer architecture. Almost all traditional computers implement the IEEE 754-1985 binary floating point standard to represent and work with numbers. The architectural limitations of traditional computers make impossible to work with infinite and infinitesimal quantities numerically. This paper is dedicated to the Infinity Computer, a new kind of a supercomputer that allows one to perform numerical computations with finite, infinite, and infinitesimal numbers. The already available software simulator of the Infinity Computer is used in different research domains for solving important real-world problems, where precision represents a key aspect. However, the software simulator is not suitable for solving problems in control theory and dynamics, where visual programming tools like Simulink are used frequently. In this context, the paper presents an innovative solution that allows one to use the Infinity Computer arithmetic within the Simulink environment. It is shown that the proposed solution is user-friendly, general purpose, and domain independent

Hydrodynamic Analysis and Simulation of a Tidal Energy Converter

A new motion simulator has been developed to simulate Minesto AB’s tidal energy converter flying in water. The motion simulator is as a part of a new computer based development environment, aiming to shorten the company’s development process. The environment consists of a hydrodynamic analysis together with the new simulator to evaluate the performance of the company’s tidal energy converter. The new motion simulator is custom-made in MATLAB and Simulink for Minesto’s purposes, simulating the motion of a flying tidal energy converter with six degrees of freedom in variable flow conditions. The hydrodynamic forces used in the simulator are calculated in the hydrodynamic analysis. Quaternions are used to avoid singularities in the angle representation, enabling the device to move freely without mathematical restrictions. The flow conditions are set in an external flow model with the ability to simulate variable flows. A control system is integrated in Simulink to control the device’s rudder during the simulation. The simulations are valid for normal flight conditions and are usable for development of both device and control system designs but also for educational purposes, especially if integrated with a visualization program

A Tutorial and Review on Flight Control Co-Simulation Using Matlab/Simulink and Flight Simulators

Flight testing in a realistic three-dimensional virtual environment is increasingly being considered a safe and cost-effective way of evaluating aircraft models and their control systems. The paper starts by reviewing and comparing the most popular personal computer-based flight simulators that have been successfully interfaced to date with the MathWorks software. This co-simulation approach allows combining the strengths of Matlab toolboxes for functions including navigation, control, and sensor modeling with the advanced simulation and scene rendering capabilities of dedicated flight simulation software. This approach can then be used to validate aircraft models, control algorithms, flight handling chatacteristics, or perform model identification from flight data. There is, however, a lack of sufficiently detailed step-by-step flight co-simulation tutorials, and there have also been few attempts to evaluate more than one flight co-simulation approach at a time. We, therefore, demonstrate our own step-by-step co-simulation implementations using Simulink with three different flight simulators: Xplane, FlightGear, and Alphalink’s virtual flight test environment (VFTE). All three co-simulations employ a real-time user datagram protocol (UDP) for data communication, and each approach has advantages depending on the aircraft type. In the case of a Cessna-172 general aviation aircraft, a Simulink co-simulation with Xplane demonstrates successful virtual flight tests with accurate simultaneous tracking of altitude and speed reference changes while maintaining roll stability under arbitrary wind conditions that present challenges in the single propeller Cessna. For a medium endurance Rascal-110 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Simulink is interfaced with FlightGear and with QGroundControl using the MAVlink protocol, which allows to accurately follow the lateral UAV path on a map, and this setup is used to evaluate the validity of Matlab-based six degrees of freedom UAV models. For a smaller ZOHD Nano Talon miniature aerial vehicle (MAV), Simulink is interfaced with the VFTE, which was specifically designed for this MAV, and with QGroundControl for the testing of advanced H-infinity observer-based autopilots using a software-in-the-loop (SIL) simulation to achieve robust low altitude flight under windy conditions. This is then finally extended to hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) implementation on the Nano Talon MAV using a controller area network (CAN) databus and a Pixhawk-4 mini autopilot with simulated sensor models

Integration of MATLAB Simulink(Registered Trademark) Models with the Vertical Motion Simulator

This paper describes the integration of MATLAB Simulink(Registered TradeMark) models into the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) at NASA Ames Research Center. The VMS is a high-fidelity, large motion flight simulator that is capable of simulating a variety of aerospace vehicles. Integrating MATLAB Simulink models into the VMS needed to retain the development flexibility of the MATLAB environment and allow rapid deployment of model changes. The process developed at the VMS was used successfully in a number of recent simulation experiments. This accomplishment demonstrated that the model integrity was preserved, while working within the hard real-time run environment of the VMS architecture, and maintaining the unique flexibility of the VMS to meet diverse research requirements

Improved mirror position estimation using resonant quantum smoothing

Quantum parameter estimation, the ability to precisely obtain a classical value in a quantum system, is very important to many key quantum technologies. Many of these technologies rely on an optical probe, either coherent or squeezed states to make a precise measurement of a parameter ultimately limited by quantum mechanics. We use this technique to theoretically model, simulate and validate by experiment the measurement and precise estimation of the position of a cavity mirror. In non-resonant systems, the achieved estimation enhancement from quantum smoothing over optimal filtering has not exceeded a factor two, even when squeezed state probes were used. Using a coherent state probe, we show that using quantum smoothing on a mechanically resonant structure driven by a resonant forcing function can result significantly greater improvement in parameter estimation than with non-resonant systems. In this work, we show that it is possible to achieve a smoothing improvement by a factor in excess of three times over optimal filtering. By using intra-cavity light as the probe we obtain finer precision than has been achieved with the equivalent quantum resources in free-space.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures and 1 tabl

Design and real-time implementation of robust FACTS controller for damping inter-area oscillation

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