Control Methodologies for Relative Motion Reproduction in a Robotic Hybrid Test Simulation of Aerial Refuelling

摘要

In many applications it is advantageous to simulate the relative motion of two bodies in a laboratory environment. This permits the testing of sensors and systems critical to the safety of equipment and personnel with reduced risk, and facilitates stage-gate management of large projects to mitigate financial risks. The University of Bristol is collaborating with Cobham Mission Equipment to develop a large-scale facility for relative motion simulation, primarily for the purpose of testing automated air-to-air refuelling systems. The facility incorporates two 6DOF articulated robotic arms whose motion is dictated by real-time numerical simulations of the physical environment. Sensors on the robot-mounted equipment feed back into the numerical simulation to perform closed loop<br/>simulations with real hardware. This paper discusses the development of the facility and the<br/>different approaches considered for achieving real-time control of the robotic hardware. It<br/>then goes on to focus on aspects of the control topologies and motion optimisation which are<br/>used to maximise the performance of the facility. The current capabilities are demonstrated<br/>with respect to an aerial refuelling exercise and future challenges are explored.