Flight simulator for helicopters of various configurations and integrated quality evaluation method

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-configuration helicopter quality evaluation simulator and a flight simulation method, and belongs to the field of flight simulators, the flight simulator comprises: a hardware system, including a six-degree-of-freedom motion platform, a joystick system, a plurality of computers and a display; and the software system comprises a flight simulation system, a comprehensive simulation management platform, a virtual central control console, a visual display system and a flight quality evaluation system. The simulator provided by the invention covers a traditional single-rotor helicopter with a tail rotor to an innovative coaxial rigid rotor helicopter, a tilt rotor aircraft, a tandem helicopter, an X-3 combined high-speed helicopter and the like, and supports two modes of offline and human in-loop to realize rapid flight simulation of various flight missions; flight quality evaluation can be completed by using simulation data in time, and reference suggestions are provided for flight quality specification formulation and flight task setting of the newly-developed configuration helicopter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of flight simulators, and more specifically, relates to a flight simulator for helicopters of various configurations, which is equipped with an integrated flight quality evaluation interface. Background Art

[0002] Due to its unique flight characteristics such as vertical take-off and landing, hovering in the air, low-speed and high-speed flight, helicopters have important applications in both military and civilian fields. Its technical requirements and research focus are no longer just pursuing the flight performance indicators of helicopters, but are more focused on the ability to complete tasks and the driving quality level, such as stability indicators, maneuverability, etc., that is, flight quality. At present, flight quality assessment mainly includes three technical means: computational analysis, flight simulation and test flight. Among them, computational analysis and flight simulation can realize the visualization of vision, movement, etc. through the medium of helicopter flight simulators. As an important enabling technology in the aviation field, helicopter flight simulators have important application prospects in personnel training, engineering research, and popularization of science.

[0003] Domestic universities have also conducted a lot of extended research in the field of helicopter flight simulators. For example, Civil Aviation University of China, Shenyang Aerospace University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and other institutions have carried out flight simulation dynamics modeling and flight simulation system construction for small unmanned helicopters; Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has developed a driving robot prototype based on flight simulation verification, and carried it on an SVH-4 helicopter to complete flight test verification. In addition, in terms of helicopter simulator products, those equipped with VR vision and six-degree-of-freedom motion platforms such as R44-D6 and S300CBi can only be used for flight simulation of single-rotor helicopters with tail rotors; simulators suitable for helicopter teaching and scientific research are equipped with joystick systems and vision systems, lacking multiple degrees of freedom somatosensory experience, as well as offline / in-the-loop simulation switching flight and evaluation functions.

[0004] With regard to the current technological development, the main problems are:

[0005] (1) The development of helicopter simulators in China started late, and there is a certain gap between China and foreign countries in terms of product maturity and simulation fidelity;

[0006] (2) Domestic simulators are mainly for military helicopter models, with long development cycles and high costs. Civilian helicopter simulators are mainly imported, with high prices and maintenance costs.

[0007] (3) At present, helicopter six-degree-of-freedom motion simulators are mainly developed for single-rotor helicopters with tail rotors, and lack the scalability of helicopter configurations; and helicopter simulators suitable for scientific research and teaching mostly lack the somatosensory experience of multiple degrees of freedom;

[0008] (4) In addition to single-rotor helicopters with tail rotors, other types of rotorcraft are developing rapidly. The development of simulation and evaluation simulators for rotorcraft is lagging behind and cannot meet the development needs of new configurations. In addition, new configuration rotorcraft, especially those with high speed and distributed power, need more matching quality specification support. Summary of the invention

[0009] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a helicopter flight simulator equipped with a multi-configuration helicopter flight simulation and quality assessment simulation system. The simulator covers from traditional single-rotor helicopters with tail rotors to innovative coaxial rigid rotor helicopters, tilt-rotor aircraft, tandem helicopters, and X-3 compound high-speed helicopters. It supports both offline and man-in-the-loop modes to achieve rapid flight simulation and flight quality assessment of various flight missions. It can perform integrated and comprehensive simulation and assessment of the flight quality of helicopters, including but not limited to key indicators of flight stability, maneuverability, and response characteristics, and provide reference suggestions for the formulation of flight quality specifications and setting of flight missions for emerging configuration helicopters.

[0010] The present invention is achieved in that:

[0011] A flight simulator for helicopters of various configurations, characterized in that offline and man-in-the-loop flight simulation and integrated flight quality evaluation of various helicopter configurations can be realized through a hardware system and a software system. The simulator comprises a hardware system and a software system: the software system comprises a flight simulation system, an integrated simulation management platform, a visual display system, a virtual central control console, and a flight quality evaluation system;

[0012] The comprehensive simulation management platform uses LabVIEW software to comprehensively integrate model selection, data monitoring, basic control law parameter settings, control input settings, offline panel settings, in-loop simulation settings, in-loop control panels / instruments, and data storage subVIs, which can realize helicopter configuration selection, initial trim speed selection, and flight data monitoring functions. The comprehensive simulation management platform transmits helicopter motion and state parameters to the visual system, flight quality evaluation system, and six-degree-of-freedom motion platform through the UDP protocol;

[0013] The visual display system includes helicopter 3D models of different configurations, runways, and virtual scene models of maneuvering subjects, and can generate helicopter motion and external flight simulation scene images that match motion and state parameters;

[0014] The virtual central control console relies on LabVIEW software and combines touch screen hardware to simulate the control buttons, knobs, switches and instrument displays in the cockpit. The pilot can use knobs and buttons to turn on and off the control mode and auxiliary driving functions during human-in-the-loop flight simulation.

[0015] The flight quality evaluation system, combined with offline simulation data such as AB array and man-in-the-loop simulation data such as control response, can be used for quantitative evaluation of flight quality parameters such as bandwidth and phase delay, stability, inter-axis coupling, quickness, large attitude changes, and collective control response in hover and low-speed states and forward flight states;

[0016] The six-degree-of-freedom motion platform can be equipped with a visual display system, a virtual central control panel, pedals (3), a collective joystick, a side joystick, a center joystick, an integrated simulation management platform, and an acoustic simulation system. The lower computer of the six-degree-of-freedom motion platform receives the three-axis attitude angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration, fuselage position, three-axis body speed, ground speed, acceleration, fuselage angle of attack, sideslip angle, climb angle, and overload parameters of the fuselage generated by the integrated simulation management platform, and feeds them back to the motion platform and the driver through the extension and retraction of the electric cylinder.

[0017] Furthermore, the hardware system includes two computers, five monitors, a joystick system, a six-degree-of-freedom motion platform, and a control cabinet; wherein the two computers are a vision computer and a simulation management computer, respectively; the vision computer is connected to three 34-inch curved monitors, with a field of view of 155° in the horizontal direction and 55° in the vertical direction, which can provide the pilot with a continuous and complete view outside the cabin; the simulation management computer is connected to a 27-inch monitor and a 27-inch touch screen, the 27-inch monitor is equipped with a comprehensive simulation management platform, and the 27-inch touch screen is equipped with a virtual central control console;

[0018] The joystick system includes pedals, a collective joystick, side joysticks and a center joystick. Both the side joysticks and the center joystick can realize lateral and longitudinal cyclic pitch control. The center joystick is used in the simulator. The upper buttons of the collective joystick, side joystick and center joystick are used to set the stick trim and stick release functions, which can assist the pilot in flying the helicopter.

[0019] The six-degree-of-freedom motion platform is equipped with a joystick system, three visual displays, a 27-inch touch screen and a driving seat, and the control cabinet controls the telescopic movement of six electric cylinders to achieve the pitch, roll, yaw, longitudinal, lateral and vertical movement of the entire motion platform;

[0020] The comprehensive simulation management platform includes a simulation management module, a flight control monitoring module, and a data monitoring module.

[0021] Furthermore, the helicopter flight simulator uses the following data communication:

[0022] The flight simulation system, the visual simulation system, and the six-degree-of-freedom motion platform realize data transmission between hardware systems through USB / HDMI, and realize data communication between software through the UDP protocol, so as to feed back the status information of flight attitude, flight position, and flight speed to the visual and motion platforms, and then to the pilot;

[0023] The flight simulation system, integrated simulation management platform, joystick system, and virtual central control console use LabVIEW local variables and multi-threading to synchronize data operation and transmission;

[0024] The flight simulation system stores flight simulation data and flight quality assessment data in the form of queues for flight simulation status monitoring and subsequent helicopter flight quality assessment;

[0025] The helicopter flight simulator uses a unified modular data interface. The helicopter flight control system simulation model includes a joystick input module, a control panel input module, a helicopter flight status input module, a flight control lever output module, and a flight control panel output module. The helicopter flight mechanics model includes a flight control lever input module and a flight status output module. For different helicopter configurations, the simulation interface of the corresponding configuration can be quickly switched without extensively modifying the background data interface of the integrated simulation management platform.

[0026] In the integrated quality assessment method for helicopter flight simulators of various configurations of the present invention, the helicopter flight simulator can be used for two flight simulation modes: offline simulation and human-in-the-loop simulation. Both offline simulation and human-in-the-loop simulation include three common steps: model selection, basic control law parameter setting, and data storage:

[0027] Model selection: Select the helicopter flight mechanics model and helicopter flight control system simulation model dll files respectively, and combine them with the MIT (Model Interface Toolkit) toolbox to realize the recognition and calling of the model in the LabVIEW comprehensive simulation management platform;

[0028] Basic control law parameter setting: read the flight control parameter file and input it into the helicopter flight control system simulation model as an array. Select the manual mode to modify the control parameters, and click Save File to save the newly modified control parameters.

[0029] Data storage: Set the writing frequency and use the queue operation of the LabVIEW program panel to save the helicopter flight data to a new file;

[0030] There are certain differences between offline and human-in-the-loop simulations in flight simulation. Offline flight simulations require pre-setting of the working mode, response type of each channel, assisted driving functions, and control inputs before simulation, while human-in-the-loop simulations need to consider the real-time nature of the simulation.

[0031] Furthermore, for offline simulation, the flight simulation steps are as follows:

[0032] Offline panel settings: pre-set the main flight control function and working mode selection, automatic flight control function and boundary protection function. If you need to switch, select "Switch" and set the switching time and the mode after switching;

[0033] Offline control input setting: Through piecewise function, each channel can form step, square wave, dipole, sweep signal and sine signal, and can combine single channel or multi-channel signals;

[0034] For human-in-the-loop flight simulation, the flight simulation steps are:

[0035] Control instrument input, that is, to complete the functions similar to the offline panel through the virtual central console. Here, the control mode is switched in real time through knobs, buttons, and switches, and the Boolean light status under the button shows whether the control mode is switched;

[0036] Real-time control input, through the LabVIEW program panel, external pedals, collective joystick, side joystick, center joystick, convert joystick displacement into the rod stroke in the model;

[0037] In-the-loop simulation settings: Set the vision computer, simulator lower computer IP and UDP data writing port, and enable the simulation vision and six-degree-of-freedom motion platform during human-in-the-loop simulation.

[0038] Furthermore, based on the flight simulation, it can be directly used for integrated flight quality parameter evaluation. The method for quantitative parameter evaluation of helicopter flight quality is:

[0039] Step 1: Select the flight state and evaluation parameters to be evaluated; Step 2: Read AB array, transfer function, txt, mat data files; Step 3: Select the channel to be evaluated, that is, display the characteristic root, time domain response curve, and frequency domain response curve; Step 4: Display the level evaluation results and automatically generate them in a table; Step 5: Exit the evaluation and select other parameters for the next evaluation.

[0040] The beneficial effects of the present invention compared with the prior art are:

[0041] The present invention provides a simple helicopter flight simulator that can be used for flight simulation and integrated flight quality evaluation of multi-configuration helicopters, covering from traditional single-rotor helicopters with tail rotors to innovative coaxial rigid rotor helicopters, tilt-rotor aircraft, etc., effectively saving simulator manufacturing costs and development cycles. Since modular modeling methods and unified data interfaces are used in modeling flight mechanics and flight control systems, the flight simulation system has strong reusability and expansibility, supports the same helicopter to perform different flight mission simulations, and also supports adding more new helicopter configurations to the model library. The helicopter flight simulator has both offline simulation and human-in-the-loop simulation. Through typical control responses, control parameter iteration simulation, maneuver subject virtual simulation, etc., on the one hand, it can effectively identify and correct conceptual errors of helicopters, especially new configurations, in the preliminary design stage, and assist in the design and verification of helicopter mathematical models. On the other hand, it can use offline / human-in-the-loop flight simulation data to perform flight quality quantitative parameter evaluation to ensure that the constructed helicopter model meets the requirements of the corresponding level, and provide data basis and reference suggestions for the formulation of flight quality specifications and special flight mission settings for new configuration helicopters. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a six-degree-of-freedom motion platform of a helicopter flight simulator motion device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flight simulation and evaluation system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a flight simulation interface of a comprehensive simulation management platform of a flight simulation interface component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a virtual control platform component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a sample helicopter (single-rotor helicopter with tail rotor) of the helicopter flight mechanics model assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a helicopter flight control system component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 7 A flow chart of bandwidth and phase delay evaluation during hovering provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Among them, 1-visual display system, 2-virtual central control panel, 3-pedals, 4-collective joystick, 5-side joystick, 6-center joystick, 7-electric cylinder; 21-simulation management module, 22-flight control monitoring module, 23-flight data monitoring module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and effect of the present invention clearer and more specific, the present invention is further described in detail by enumerating examples below. It should be noted that the specific implementation described here is only used to explain the present invention and is not used to limit the present invention.

[0051] like Figures 1-2 As shown, the helicopter flight simulator described in the present invention includes: hardware system: six-degree-of-freedom motion platform, joystick system, multiple computers and displays; software system: flight simulation system, integrated simulation management platform, visual display system, virtual central control console 2, flight quality evaluation system.

[0052] The visual display system 1 includes helicopter 3D models of different configurations, runways, and virtual scene models of maneuvering subjects. Combined with three 34-inch curved displays, it can generate helicopter motion and external flight simulation scene images that match the motion and state parameters.

[0053] The joystick system includes pedals 3, collective joystick 4, side joystick 5 and center joystick 6. Both the side joystick 5 and center joystick 6 can realize lateral and longitudinal cyclic pitch control. The simulator uses the center joystick 6. The upper buttons of the collective joystick 4, the side joystick 5 and the center joystick 6 are used to set the stick trim and stick release functions, which can assist the pilot in flying the helicopter.

[0054] The six-degree-of-freedom motion platform is equipped with a joystick system, three visual displays, a 27-inch touch screen and a driving seat, and the control cabinet controls the telescopic movement of six electric cylinders to achieve the pitch, roll, yaw, longitudinal, lateral and vertical movement of the entire motion platform;

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown, the comprehensive simulation management platform of the present invention integrates model selection, data monitoring, basic control law parameter setting, control input setting, offline panel setting, in-loop simulation setting, in-loop control panel / instrument, and data storage subVI, which can realize helicopter configuration selection, initial trim speed selection, and flight data monitoring functions. The comprehensive simulation management platform transmits helicopter motion and state parameters to the visual system, flight quality evaluation system, and six-degree-of-freedom motion platform respectively through the UDP protocol.

[0056] like Figure 4As shown, the virtual central console 2, relying on LabVIEW software and combined with touch screen hardware, simulates the control buttons, knobs, switches and instrument displays in the cockpit. The pilot can use knobs and buttons to turn on and off the control mode and auxiliary driving functions when performing human-in-the-loop flight simulation;

[0057] The flight simulation system of the present invention includes helicopter mathematical models of various configurations, each of which corresponds to a helicopter flight mechanics model and a helicopter flight control system simulation model, and can accurately simulate the six-degree-of-freedom motion characteristics of the helicopter and generate the motion and state parameters of the target helicopter. Figure 5 It is a flight mechanics model of a single-rotor helicopter with a tail rotor. Figure 6 The explicit model tracks the control system model;

[0058] The flight quality evaluation system, combined with offline simulation data such as AB array and human-in-the-loop simulation data such as control response, is used to quantitatively evaluate the flight quality parameters such as bandwidth and phase delay, stability, inter-axis coupling, quickness, large attitude changes and collective control response in hovering and low-speed states and forward flight states. Figure 7 Flowchart for bandwidth and phase delay evaluation during hovering.

[0059] The helicopter flight simulator provided by the present invention adopts the following data communication:

[0060] The flight simulation system, the visual simulation system, and the six-degree-of-freedom motion platform realize data transmission between hardware systems through USB / HDMI, and realize data communication between software through the UDP protocol, so as to feed back the status information of flight attitude, flight position, and flight speed to the visual and motion platforms, and then to the pilot;

[0061] The flight simulation system, integrated simulation management platform, joystick system, and virtual central console 2 use LabVIEW local variables and multi-threading to synchronize data operation and transmission;

[0062] The flight simulation system stores flight simulation data and flight quality assessment data in the form of queues for flight simulation status monitoring and subsequent helicopter flight quality assessment;

[0063] The helicopter flight simulator uses a unified modular data interface. The helicopter flight control system simulation model includes a joystick input module, a control panel input module, a helicopter flight status input module, a flight control lever output module, and a flight control panel output module. The helicopter flight mechanics model includes a flight control lever input module and a flight status output module. For different helicopter configurations, the simulation interface of the corresponding configuration can be quickly switched without extensively modifying the background data interface of the integrated simulation management platform.

[0064] The helicopter flight simulator provided by the present invention can be used for switching between offline and human-in-the-loop simulation modes of helicopter flight simulation. Both offline simulation and human-in-the-loop simulation include three common steps: model selection, basic control law parameter setting, and data storage:

[0065] Step 1: Model selection, select the helicopter flight mechanics model and helicopter flight control system simulation model dll files respectively, and combine the MIT (Model Interface Toolkit) toolbox to realize the recognition and call of the model in the LabVIEW comprehensive simulation management platform;

[0066] Step 2: Basic control law parameter setting, read the flight control parameter file, and input it into the helicopter flight control system simulation model as an array. Select the manual mode to modify the control parameters, and click Save File to save the newly modified control parameters;

[0067] Step 3: Data storage, set the writing frequency, and use the queue operation of the LabVIEW program panel to save the helicopter flight data into a new file;

[0068] There are also some differences between offline and man-in-the-loop simulations in flight simulation. Offline flight simulations require presetting of the working mode, response type of each channel, auxiliary driving function, and control input before simulation, while man-in-the-loop simulations need to consider the real-time nature of the simulation. Therefore, for offline simulations:

[0069] Step 4: Offline panel settings, pre-set the main flight control function and working mode selection, automatic flight control function and boundary protection function. If you need to switch, select "Switch" and set the switching time and the mode after switching;

[0070] Step 5: Offline manipulation input settings, through the form of piecewise functions, form each channel step, square wave, dipole, sweep signal and sine signal, can be combined with single channel or multi-channel signals. Taking "dipole" manipulation as an example, in LabVIEW, the input can be completed through a for loop, with a time interval of 1ms. The specific formula is:

[0071]

[0072] Where t0 is the start time, d1 is the rise time, d2 is the fall time, D is the dipole width, t set is the total offline simulation time, A is the dipole amplitude, that is, in the "offline rod quantity manipulation input" interface, for dipole manipulation, only the above parameters need to be set.

[0073] For human-in-the-loop flight simulation:

[0074] Step 4: Control instrument input, that is, complete the functions similar to the offline panel through the virtual central console 2. Here, the control mode is switched in real time through knobs, buttons, and switches, and the Boolean light status under the button shows whether the control mode is switched;

[0075] Step 5: Real-time control input, through the LabVIEW program panel, externally connect the pedal 3, the total distance joystick 4, the side joystick 5, and the center joystick 6, and convert the joystick displacement into the rod stroke in the model;

[0076] Step 6: In-loop simulation settings, set the vision computer, simulator host IP and UDP data writing port, and enable the simulation vision and six-degree-of-freedom motion platform during human-in-the-loop simulation.

[0077] Based on flight simulation, the present invention provides an integrated flight quality parameter evaluation method for quantitative parameter evaluation of helicopter flight quality, comprising the following steps:

[0078] Step 1: Select the flight state and evaluation parameters to be evaluated;

[0079] Step 2: Read AB array, transfer function, txt and other data files;

[0080] Step 3: Select the channel to be evaluated, that is, display the characteristic root, time domain response curve, frequency domain response curve, etc.;

[0081] Step 4: Display the grade assessment results and automatically generate them in a table;

[0082] Step 5: Exit the evaluation and select other parameters for the next evaluation.

[0083] The following specific data examples are listed to illustrate the integrated quality assessment method for helicopter flight simulators of various configurations of the present invention:

[0084] The visual display system 1 of the embodiment of the present invention uses three 34-inch curved displays, with a field of view of 155° in the horizontal direction and 55° in the vertical direction, which can provide the pilot with a continuous and complete view outside the cabin, including helicopter 3D models of different configurations, runways, and virtual scene models of maneuvering subjects, and can generate helicopter motion and external flight simulation scene images that match the motion and state parameters;

[0085] The virtual central console 2 of the embodiment of the present invention includes a 27-inch virtual instrument display, which relies on LabVIEW software and combines touch screen hardware to simulate the control buttons, knobs, switches and instrument displays in the cockpit. The pilot can use knobs and buttons to turn on and off the control mode and auxiliary driving functions when performing human-in-the-loop flight simulation;

[0086] The joystick system of the embodiment of the present invention includes pedals 3, a collective joystick 4, a side joystick 5 and a center joystick 6. Both the side joystick 5 and the center joystick 6 can realize lateral and longitudinal cyclic pitch control. The center joystick 6 is used in the simulator. The buttons of the collective joystick 4, the side joystick 5 and the center joystick 6 are provided with stick trimming and stick release functions to assist the pilot in flying the helicopter.

[0087] The integrated simulation management platform of the embodiment of the present invention includes three parts: a flight simulation workstation, a simulation management display, and a data monitoring display. It is equipped with a teaching seat. Through LabVIEW software, it integrates model selection, data monitoring, basic control law parameter setting, control input setting, offline panel setting, in-loop simulation setting, in-loop control panel / instrument, and data storage subVIs, which can realize helicopter configuration selection, initial trim speed selection, and flight data monitoring functions. The integrated simulation management platform transmits helicopter motion and state parameters to the visual system, flight quality evaluation system, and six-degree-of-freedom motion platform respectively through the UDP protocol;

[0088] The six-degree-of-freedom platform of the embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a joystick system, three visual displays, a 27-inch touch screen and a driving seat, and receives the aircraft's roll angle, pitch angle, yaw angle, and lateral, longitudinal and vertical movement data in real time through the UDP protocol. The elongation of the six electric cylinders of the six-degree-of-freedom motion platform is inversely solved through the built-in wash-out algorithm, and then the electric cylinders are controlled to perform telescopic movement through the servo driver, so as to realize the translation and rotation of the moving platform in six degrees of freedom in space;

[0089] The flight simulation system of the embodiment of the present invention has a helicopter mathematical model of various configurations, each of which corresponds to a helicopter flight mechanics model and a helicopter flight control system simulation model. The helicopter mathematical model is solved with a 5ms timing cycle to simulate the six-degree-of-freedom motion characteristics of the target helicopter and generate the motion and state parameters of the target helicopter.

[0090] The integrated flight quality evaluation system of the embodiment of the present invention, combined with offline simulation data such as AB array and human-in-the-loop simulation data such as control response, can be used for quantitative evaluation of flight quality parameters such as bandwidth and phase delay, stability, inter-axis coupling, quickness, large attitude changes and collective control response in hovering and low-speed states and forward flight states.

[0091] Example 1: Offline simulation of typical control inputs in a helicopter hovering state

[0092] The main steps of offline simulation of typical control inputs in helicopter hovering state are as follows:

[0093] Step a1: Power on the system, select "Offline Simulation" mode in the "Simulation Type" drop-down box, set "Balance Speed" and "Offline Simulation Time", and run the integrated management control interface;

[0094] Step a2: Click the "Model Selection" button to select the helicopter flight dynamics and flight control model, click the "Basic Control Law Parameter Setting" button, and read or manually modify the control law parameters through a txt file;

[0095] Step a3: Click the "Data Storage" button to set the data writing frequency and saving path;

[0096] Step a4: Click the "Offline Panel Settings" button to pre-set the main flight control function and working mode selection, automatic flight control function and boundary protection function;

[0097] Step a5: Click the "Control Input Settings" button, select the control input channel, and set the typical step, square wave, dipole, and sine signal control input;

[0098] Step a6: Click the "Start" button to monitor the helicopter's flight status response and flight control response through the integrated simulation management platform;

[0099] Step a7: Click the "Terminate" button to end the simulation;

[0100] Example 2: Helicopter "Slalom Skiing" Maneuvering Course Flight Simulation

[0101] Step b1: Power on the system and start the "obstacle skiing" subject simulation scene and simulator control cabinet;

[0102] Step b2: Select "In-the-Loop Simulation" mode in the "Simulation Type" drop-down box, run the integrated management control interface, and automatically pop up the virtual central control console 2 to set the main flight control function, working mode, automatic flight control function, etc.

[0103] Step b3: Click the "Model Selection" button to select the helicopter flight dynamics and flight control model, click the "Basic Control Law Parameter Setting" button, and read or manually modify the control law parameters through a txt file;

[0104] Step b4: Click the "Data Storage" button to set the data writing frequency and saving path;

[0105] Step b5: Click the "In-Loop Simulation Settings" button to set the joystick sequence, view, simulator IP and data writing port;

[0106] Step b6: Click the "Start" button, and the pilot controls the joystick to complete the maneuvering flight simulation through the virtual central console's horizon, airspeed, altitude and other parameters, as well as the obstacle indications in the subject's visual field;

[0107] Step b7: Click the "Terminate" button to end the simulation;

[0108] Example 3: Evaluation of bandwidth and phase delay during hovering

[0109] The evaluation steps of bandwidth and phase delay when the helicopter is hovering are as follows:

[0110] Step c1: Power on the system and run the flight quality assessment interface;

[0111] Step c2: Select the "Hover and Slow Flight" state, click the "Bandwidth and Phase Delay" button, and the corresponding evaluation interface will pop up;

[0112] Step c3: Import the AB array file, import and read the basic control law parameter file, set the basic control law parameters, delay and servo parameters;

[0113] Step c4: Check the status to be evaluated and view the frequency domain response curve and level diagram;

[0114] Step c5: If you need to modify the control law parameters, click the "Basic Control Law Parameters Setting" button, select the manual mode to modify the basic control law parameters or feedback parameters, and repeat step c4;

[0115] Step c6: Save the level chart. If you need to enter the next set of data evaluation, repeat steps c1 to c5. Otherwise, exit the evaluation.

[0116] The evaluation steps are as follows: Figure 7 As shown:

[0117] Step 1: Select the flight state and evaluation parameters to be evaluated; Step 2: Read AB array, transfer function, txt and other data files; Step 3: Select the channel to be evaluated, that is, display the characteristic root, time domain response curve, frequency domain response curve, etc.; Step 4: Display the level evaluation results and automatically generate them in a table; Step 5: Exit the evaluation and select other parameters for the next evaluation.

[0118] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that a person skilled in the art can make several improvements without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements should also be regarded as within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A helicopter flight simulator for various configurations, characterized in that: Through the hardware system and software system, offline and man-in-the-loop flight simulation and integrated flight quality evaluation of various helicopter configurations can be realized. The simulator includes hardware system and software system: The software system comprises a flight simulation system, an integrated simulation management platform, a visual display system (1), a virtual central control console (2), and a flight quality evaluation system; The flight simulation system includes helicopter mathematical models of various configurations, each of which corresponds to a helicopter flight mechanics model and a helicopter flight control system simulation model, and can accurately simulate the six-degree-of-freedom motion characteristics of the helicopter and generate the motion and state parameters of the target helicopter; The comprehensive simulation management platform uses LabVIEW software to comprehensively integrate model selection, data monitoring, basic control law parameter settings, control input settings, offline panel settings, in-loop simulation settings, in-loop control panels / instruments, and data storage subVIs, and can realize helicopter configuration selection, initial trim speed selection, and flight data monitoring functions; the comprehensive simulation management platform transmits helicopter motion and state parameters to the visual system, flight quality evaluation system, and six-degree-of-freedom motion platform respectively through the UDP protocol; The visual display system (1) comprises helicopter 3D models of different configurations, runways, and virtual scene models of maneuvering subjects, and can generate helicopter motion and external flight simulation scene images that match motion and state parameters; The virtual central control console (2) relies on LabVIEW software and combines touch screen hardware to simulate control buttons, knobs, switches and instrument displays in the cockpit. The pilot can use knobs and buttons to turn on and off control modes and auxiliary driving functions when performing human-in-the-loop flight simulation. The flight quality evaluation system, combined with offline simulation data such as AB array and human-in-the-loop simulation data such as control response, can be used for quantitative evaluation of flight quality parameters such as bandwidth and phase delay, stability, inter-axis coupling, quickness, large attitude change and collective control response in hovering and low-speed states and forward flight states; the six-degree-of-freedom motion platform can be equipped with a visual display system (1), a virtual central control console (2), pedals (3), a collective control stick (4), a side control stick (5), a center control stick (6), an integrated simulation management platform and an acoustic simulation system; the lower computer of the six-degree-of-freedom motion platform receives the three-axis attitude angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration, fuselage position, three-axis body speed, ground speed, acceleration, fuselage angle of attack, sideslip angle, climb angle and overload parameters of the fuselage generated by the integrated simulation management platform, and feeds them back to the motion platform and the pilot through the extension and retraction of the electric cylinder (7).

2. The helicopter flight simulator for multiple configurations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hardware system includes two computers, five monitors, a joystick system, a six-degree-of-freedom motion platform, and a control cabinet; the two computers are a vision computer and a simulation management computer, respectively. The vision computer is connected to three 34-inch curved monitors, with a field of view of 155° in the horizontal direction and 55° in the vertical direction, which can provide the pilot with a continuous and complete view outside the cabin; the simulation management computer is connected to a 27-inch monitor and a 27-inch touch screen, the 27-inch monitor is equipped with a comprehensive simulation management platform, and the 27-inch touch screen is equipped with a virtual central control console; The joystick system comprises pedals (3), a collective joystick (4), a side joystick (5) and a center joystick (6); both the side joystick (5) and the center joystick (6) can realize lateral and longitudinal cyclic pitch control, and the center joystick (6) is used in the simulator; the upper buttons of the collective joystick (4), the side joystick (5) and the center joystick (6) are used to set the stick trim and stick release functions, so as to assist the pilot in driving the helicopter; The six-degree-of-freedom motion platform is equipped with a joystick system, three visual displays, a 27-inch touch screen and a driving seat, and the control cabinet controls the telescopic movement of six electric cylinders to achieve the pitch, roll, yaw, longitudinal, lateral and vertical movement of the entire motion platform; The comprehensive simulation management platform comprises a simulation management module (21), a flight control monitoring module (22), and a data monitoring module (23).

3. The helicopter flight simulator for multiple configurations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The helicopter flight simulator uses the following data communication: The flight simulation system, the visual simulation system, and the six-degree-of-freedom motion platform realize data transmission between hardware systems through USB / HDMI, and realize data communication between software through the UDP protocol, so as to feed back the status information of flight attitude, flight position, and flight speed to the visual and motion platforms, and then to the pilot; the flight simulation system, the integrated simulation management platform, the joystick system, and the virtual central control console (2) perform synchronous operation and transmission of data through LabVIEW local variables and multi-threading; The flight simulation system stores flight simulation data and flight quality assessment data in the form of queues for flight simulation status monitoring and subsequent helicopter flight quality assessment; The helicopter flight simulator uses a unified modular data interface. The helicopter flight control system simulation model includes a joystick input module, a control panel input module, a helicopter flight status input module, a flight control lever output module, and a flight control panel output module. The helicopter flight mechanics model includes a flight control lever input module and a flight status output module. For different helicopter configurations, the simulation interface of the corresponding configuration can be quickly switched without extensively modifying the background data interface of the integrated simulation management platform.

4. The integrated quality assessment method for helicopter flight simulators of various configurations according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: The helicopter flight simulator can be used in two flight simulation modes: offline and man-in-the-loop. Both offline simulation and man-in-the-loop simulation include three common steps: model selection, basic control law parameter setting, and data storage: Model selection: Select the helicopter flight mechanics model and helicopter flight control system simulation model dll files respectively, and combine them with the MIT (Model Interface Toolkit) toolbox to realize the recognition and calling of the model in the LabVIEW comprehensive simulation management platform; Basic control law parameter setting: read the flight control parameter file and input it into the helicopter flight control system simulation model as an array. Select the manual mode to modify the control parameters, and click Save File to save the newly modified control parameters. Data storage: Set the writing frequency and use the queue operation of the LabVIEW program panel to save the helicopter flight data to a new file; There are certain differences between offline and human-in-the-loop simulations in flight simulation. Offline flight simulations require pre-setting of the working mode, response type of each channel, assisted driving functions, and control inputs before simulation, while human-in-the-loop simulations need to consider the real-time nature of the simulation.

5. The integrated quality assessment method for helicopter flight simulators of various configurations according to claim 3 is characterized in that: For offline simulation, the flight simulation steps are as follows: Offline panel settings: pre-set the main flight control function and working mode selection, automatic flight control function and boundary protection function. If you need to switch, select "Switch" to set the switching time and the mode after switching; Offline control input setting: Through piecewise function, each channel can form step, square wave, dipole, sweep signal and sine signal, and can combine single channel or multi-channel signals; For human-in-the-loop flight simulation, the flight simulation steps are: Control instrument input, that is, through the virtual central console (2), the functions similar to those of the offline panel are completed. Here, the control mode is switched in real time through knobs, buttons, and switches, and the Boolean light status below the button indicates whether the control mode has been switched; Real-time control input, through the LabVIEW program panel, external pedals (3), total joysticks (4), side joysticks (5), and center joysticks (6), the joystick displacement is converted into the rod stroke in the model; in-loop simulation settings: set the vision computer, simulator lower computer IP and UDP data writing port, and enable the simulation vision and six-degree-of-freedom motion platform during human-in-the-loop simulation.

6. The integrated quality assessment method for helicopter flight simulators of various configurations according to claim 3 is characterized in that: After completing the flight simulation using a helicopter flight simulator, it can be directly used for integrated flight quality parameter evaluation. The method used for quantitative parameter evaluation of helicopter flight quality is: Step 1: Select the flight state and evaluation parameters to be evaluated; Step 2: Read AB array, transfer function, txt, mat data files; Step 3: Select the channel to be evaluated, that is, display the characteristic root, time domain response curve, and frequency domain response curve; Step 4: Display the grade assessment results and automatically generate them in a table; Step 5: Exit the evaluation and select other parameters for the next evaluation.

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