6,541 research outputs found
The design, development, testing, fabrication, calibration and integration of a High Resolution Imager (HRI) for the Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT)
The development, calibration and integration of the high resolution imager (HRI) for the Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT) is discussed
The effects of pilot stress factors on handling quality assessments during US/German helicopter agility flight tests
Flight tests were conducted with two helicopters to study and evaluate the effects of helicopter characteristics and pilot and task demands on performance in nap-of-the-Earth flight. Different, low-level slalom courses were set up and were flown by three pilots with different levels of flight experience. A pilot rating questionnaire was used to obtain redundant information and to gain more insight into factors that influence pilot ratings. The flight test setups and procedures are described, and the pilot ratings are summarized and interpreted in close connection with the analyzed test data. Pilot stress is discussed. The influence of demands on the pilot, of the helicopter characteristics, and of other stress factors are outlined with particular emphasis on how these factors affect handling-qualities assessment
A Sequential Two-Step Algorithm for Fast Generation of Vehicle Racing Trajectories
The problem of maneuvering a vehicle through a race course in minimum time
requires computation of both longitudinal (brake and throttle) and lateral
(steering wheel) control inputs. Unfortunately, solving the resulting nonlinear
optimal control problem is typically computationally expensive and infeasible
for real-time trajectory planning. This paper presents an iterative algorithm
that divides the path generation task into two sequential subproblems that are
significantly easier to solve. Given an initial path through the race track,
the algorithm runs a forward-backward integration scheme to determine the
minimum-time longitudinal speed profile, subject to tire friction constraints.
With this fixed speed profile, the algorithm updates the vehicle's path by
solving a convex optimization problem that minimizes the resulting path
curvature while staying within track boundaries and obeying affine,
time-varying vehicle dynamics constraints. This two-step process is repeated
iteratively until the predicted lap time no longer improves. While providing no
guarantees of convergence or a globally optimal solution, the approach performs
very well when validated on the Thunderhill Raceway course in Willows, CA. The
predicted lap time converges after four to five iterations, with each iteration
over the full 4.5 km race course requiring only thirty seconds of computation
time on a laptop computer. The resulting trajectory is experimentally driven at
the race circuit with an autonomous Audi TTS test vehicle, and the resulting
lap time and racing line is comparable to both a nonlinear gradient descent
solution and a trajectory recorded from a professional racecar driver. The
experimental results indicate that the proposed method is a viable option for
online trajectory planning in the near future
Contingency Model Predictive Control for Automated Vehicles
We present Contingency Model Predictive Control (CMPC), a novel and
implementable control framework which tracks a desired path while
simultaneously maintaining a contingency plan -- an alternate trajectory to
avert an identified potential emergency. In this way, CMPC anticipates events
that might take place, instead of reacting when emergencies occur. We
accomplish this by adding an additional prediction horizon in parallel to the
classical receding MPC horizon. The contingency horizon is constrained to
maintain a feasible avoidance solution; as such, CMPC is selectively robust to
this emergency while tracking the desired path as closely as possible. After
defining the framework mathematically, we demonstrate its effectiveness
experimentally by comparing its performance to a state-of-the-art deterministic
MPC. The controllers drive an automated research platform through a left-hand
turn which may be covered by ice. Contingency MPC prepares for the potential
loss of friction by purposefully and intuitively deviating from the prescribed
path to approach the turn more conservatively; this deviation significantly
mitigates the consequence of encountering ice.Comment: American Control Conference, July 2019; 6 page
A piloted simulator investigation of stability and control, display and crew-loading requirements for helicopter instrument approach. Part 2: Supporting data
Pilot rating comments and standard deviation measures of flight performance and control use are presented
A ground-simulator investigation of helicopter longitudinal flying qualities for instrument approach
A ground-simulation experiment was conducted to investigate the direct and interactive influences of several longitudinal static and dynamic stability parameters on helicopter flying qualities during terminal-area operations in instrument conditions. Variations that were examined included five levels of static control-position gradients ranging from stable to unstable; two levels of dynamic stability for the long-period oscillation; two levels of the steady-state pitch speed gradient; two levels of angle-of-attack stability and pitch-rate damping; and two levels of stability and control augmentation. These variations were examined initially in calm air and thin in simulated light-to-moderate turbulence and wind shear. Five pilots performed a total of 223 evaluations of these parameters for a representative microwave landing system precision approach task conducted in a dual-pilot crew-loading situation
A piloted simulator investigation of stability and control, display and crew-loading requirements for helicopter instrument approach. Part 1: Technical discussion and results
A ground-simulation experiment was conducted to investigate the influence and interaction of flight-control system, fight-director display, and crew-loading situation on helicopter flying qualities during terminal area operations in instrument conditions. The experiment was conducted on the Flight Simulator for Advanced Aircraft at Ames Research Center. Six levels of control complexity, ranging from angular rate damping to velocity augmented longitudinal and vertical axes, were implemented on a representative helicopter model. The six levels of augmentation were examined with display variations consisting of raw elevation and azimuth data only, and of raw data plus one-, two-, and three-cue flight directors. Crew-loading situations simulated for the control-display combinations were dual-pilot operation (representative auxiliary tasks of navigation, communications, and decision-making). Four pilots performed a total of 150 evaluations of combinations of these parameters for a representative microwave landing system (MLS) approach task
U-Pb LA-ICP-MS age determinations of growth impulses in zircons from Carboniferous post-orogenic granites, Sierra de Velasco (NW-Argentina)
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