Simulator system and simulation method

Abstract

The present invention is provided with: an aircraft having a control unit that executes airframe control, and a storage unit that stores software for executing the airframe control; and a simulator device for inputting input information pertaining to the airframe control to the aircraft and acquiring output information output from the aircraft. The aircraft executes software when simulation of the aircraft is executed. The storage unit stores actual aircraft data to which are imparted response characteristics pertaining to the airframe control corresponding to the input information. The control unit, when the aircraft simulation is executed, acquires input information from the simulator device, executes the airframe control by software on the basis of the acquired input information and the actual aircraft data, and outputs the control result of the airframe control as output information to the simulator device.

Description

Simulator system and simulation method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a simulator system and a simulation method.

[0002] Conventionally, a method is known in which a digital twin of a vehicle is generated and a simulation is performed based on the generated digital twin (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-13557

[0004] Generally, when simulating the operation of a target device, the software to be installed on the actual device and the software to be installed on the simulator device are designed separately. In this case, development costs increase because software is designed and developed separately for the actual device and the simulator device. Furthermore, when the software is separate, for example, due to software upgrades, the software versions on the actual device and the simulator device may differ, making it difficult to accurately simulate the operation of the device using the simulator device. In particular, when software on the actual device is frequently upgraded, it is practically difficult to upgrade the software for the simulator.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a simulator system and a simulation method that can accurately simulate aircraft body control while reducing development costs.

[0006] The simulator system of the present disclosure comprises an aircraft having a control unit that executes aircraft control and a memory unit that stores software for executing the aircraft control, and a simulator device that inputs input information related to the aircraft control to the aircraft and acquires output information output from the aircraft, wherein the aircraft executes the software when a simulation of the aircraft is executed, the memory unit stores actual aircraft data to which response characteristics related to the aircraft control corresponding to the input information have been assigned, and the control unit acquires the input information from the simulator device when a simulation of the aircraft is executed, executes the aircraft control using the software based on the acquired input information and the actual aircraft data, and outputs the control results of the aircraft control to the simulator device as the output information.

[0007] The simulation method disclosed herein is a simulation method executed by a simulator system including an aircraft and a simulator device that inputs input information related to aircraft control to the aircraft and acquires output information output from the aircraft, wherein the aircraft has a control unit that executes the aircraft control and a memory unit that stores software for executing the aircraft control, the aircraft executes the software when a simulation of the aircraft is executed, the memory unit stores actual aircraft data to which response characteristics related to the aircraft control corresponding to the input information have been assigned, and the control unit acquires the input information from the simulator device when a simulation of the aircraft is executed, executes the aircraft control using the software based on the acquired input information and the actual aircraft data, and outputs the control results of the aircraft control to the simulator device as the output information.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to accurately simulate aircraft body control while reducing development costs.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a simulator system according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a simulation method according to this embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical. Furthermore, the components described below can be combined as appropriate, and when there are multiple embodiments, the respective embodiments can also be combined.

[0011] [Present Embodiment] A simulator system 10 according to this embodiment is a system that simulates the operation of an aircraft body. First, the simulator system 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0012] (Simulator System) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a simulator system according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the simulator system 10 includes an aircraft 15 and a simulator device 16, which are communicatively connected via a communication network 18.

[0013] The aircraft 15 has a control unit 21 that executes airframe control, a storage unit 22 that stores software S, and a communication unit 23. Airframe control includes control of the flight of the aircraft 15 as well as control of equipment mounted on the aircraft, and the simulator system 10 simulates the flight control of the aircraft 15 and the control of equipment mounted on the aircraft.

[0014] The control unit 21 includes an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. The control unit 21 executes various data processes related to the control of the aircraft 15.

[0015] The storage unit 22 is any storage device such as a semiconductor storage device or a magnetic storage device. The storage unit 22 stores various software for executing various data processing operations and various data used in the various data processing operations. The various software operations are performed by software S1 for controlling the aircraft 15. The various data operations include actual aircraft data D1 acquired during the flight of the aircraft 15. The actual aircraft data D1 is data to which response characteristics related to aircraft control have been assigned, and is log data acquired during the flight of the aircraft 15. The actual aircraft data D1 includes, as response characteristics, response characteristics related to the flight control of the aircraft and response characteristics of equipment mounted on the aircraft.

[0016] The communication unit 23 is a communication module for bidirectional communication with the simulator device 16. The communication unit 23 acquires input information input from the simulator device 16 and outputs output information generated by the control unit 21 to the simulator device 16.

[0017] The simulator device 16 includes a control unit 31 , a storage unit 32 , a communication unit 33 , an input unit 34 , and an output unit 35 .

[0018] The control unit 31 includes an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) in the same manner as the control unit 21. The control unit 31 executes various data processes related to the simulation.

[0019] Like the storage unit 22, the storage unit 32 is any storage device such as a semiconductor storage device or a magnetic storage device. The storage unit 22 stores various software for executing various data processing operations and various data used in the various data processing operations. The various software operations include software S2 for simulating the aircraft control of the aircraft 15. The various data operations include model data D2 for simulating the aircraft used when simulating the aircraft 15. The model data D2 is data used for aircraft control of a virtual aircraft model.

[0020] The communication unit 33 is a communication module for two-way communication with the aircraft 15. The communication unit 23 outputs input information to the aircraft 15 and acquires output information input from the aircraft 15.

[0021] The input unit 34 is, for example, an input device such as an operation panel and an operation terminal 34a for operating the aircraft 15. The output unit 35 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display.

[0022] (Simulation Method) Next, a simulation method executed by the simulator system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart relating to the simulation method according to this embodiment.

[0023] In the simulation method, the simulator device 16 executes a mode selection process to select a real-aircraft mode, which is a simulation using real-aircraft data D1, or a general-purpose mode, which is a simulation using model data D2 (step S1). In step S1, when the pilot operating the simulator device 16 selects the real-aircraft mode via the input unit 34 (step S1a), the control unit 21 of the aircraft 15 executes a simulation according to the selected real-aircraft mode. On the other hand, in step S1, when the pilot operating the simulator device 16 selects the general-purpose mode via the input unit 34 (step S1b), the control unit 31 of the simulator device 16 executes a simulation according to the selected general-purpose mode.

[0024] Next, when the real aircraft mode is selected, the simulator device 16 receives input information from the pilot via the input unit 34. The communication unit 33 acquires the input information and transmits the acquired input information to the aircraft 15 (step S2). Subsequently, the communication unit 23 acquires the input information in the aircraft 15 (step S3a). The control unit 21 of the aircraft 15 then simulates aircraft control by the software S1 based on the acquired input information and the real aircraft data D1 (step S4a). In other words, in step S4a, the real aircraft data D1 is used to simulate individual differences in the aircraft, and corrections are made to simulate the response characteristics of the real aircraft. The control unit 21 generates the results of the simulation process, i.e., the control results of the aircraft control, as output information (step S5a). The output information is, for example, aircraft motion data, which is information related to the aircraft's motion state.

[0025] The control unit 21 of the aircraft 15 transmits the generated output information to the simulator device 16 via the communication unit 23 (step S6). Thereafter, the communication unit 33 of the simulator device 16 acquires the output information (step S7a). In step S7a, when the simulator device 16 acquires the output information, the control unit 31 outputs a display based on the output information from the output unit 35 to the pilot.

[0026] On the other hand, if the general-purpose mode is selected in step S1, the simulator device 16 acquires input information from the pilot via the input unit 34 (step S3b). The control unit 31 of the simulator device 16 then simulates aircraft control by the software S2 based on the acquired input information and the model data D2 (step S4b). In other words, in step S4b, the model data D2 is used to simulate a general-purpose aircraft. The control unit 31 generates the results of the simulation process, i.e., the results of aircraft control, as output information (step S5b). The output information, like the real-aircraft mode, is, for example, aircraft motion data, which is information related to the aircraft's motion state.

[0027] The control unit 31 of the simulator device 16 acquires the generated output information (step S7b). In step S7b, when the simulator device 16 acquires the output information, the control unit 31 outputs a display based on the output information from the output unit 35 to the operator.

[0028] As described above, the simulator system and the simulation method described in this embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0029] The simulator system 10 according to the first aspect comprises an aircraft 15 having a control unit 21 that executes aircraft control and a memory unit 22 that stores software S1 for executing the aircraft control, and a simulator device 16 that inputs input information related to the aircraft control to the aircraft 15 and acquires output information output from the aircraft 15, wherein the aircraft 15 executes the software S1 when a simulation of the aircraft 15 is executed, the memory unit 22 stores actual aircraft data D1 to which response characteristics related to the aircraft control corresponding to the input information have been assigned, and the control unit 21 acquires the input information from the simulator device 16 when a simulation of the aircraft 15 is executed, executes the aircraft control using the software S1 based on the acquired input information and the actual aircraft data D1, and outputs the control results of the aircraft control to the simulator device 16 as the output information.

[0030] According to this configuration, the aircraft 15 can be simulated using the software S1 installed in the aircraft 15, eliminating the need to develop the software S1 to be installed in the simulator device 16. Furthermore, by executing a simulation process based on the software S1 using the actual aircraft data D1, the aircraft control of the aircraft 15 can be accurately simulated. This allows for accurate simulation of the aircraft control of the aircraft 15 while reducing development costs. Furthermore, even if the software S1 of the aircraft 15 is frequently upgraded, the aircraft 15 can be simulated based on the actual aircraft data D1 using the upgraded software S1 of the aircraft 15, thereby allowing for accurate simulation of the aircraft control of the aircraft 15.

[0031] As a second aspect, in the simulator system 10 according to the first aspect, the simulator device 16 has a memory unit 32 that stores model data D2 for simulating the aircraft control corresponding to the input information, and when simulating the aircraft 15, the simulator device 16 executes a mode selection process that selects between a real aircraft mode, which is a simulation using the real aircraft data D1, and a general-purpose mode, which is a simulation using the model data D2.

[0032] According to this configuration, the simulation can be executed by appropriately selecting the real machine mode or the general-purpose mode, thereby improving versatility.

[0033] A simulation method according to a third aspect is a simulation method executed by a simulator system 10 including an aircraft 15 and a simulator device 16 that inputs input information related to aircraft control to the aircraft 15 and acquires output information output from the aircraft 15, wherein the aircraft 15 has a control unit 21 that executes the aircraft control and a memory unit 22 that stores software S1 for executing the aircraft control, the aircraft 15 executes the software S when a simulation of the aircraft 15 is executed, the memory unit 22 stores actual aircraft data D1 to which response characteristics related to the aircraft control corresponding to the input information have been assigned, the control unit 21 acquires the input information from the simulator device 16 when a simulation of the aircraft 15 is executed, executes the aircraft control using the software S1 based on the acquired input information and the actual aircraft data D1, and outputs the control result of the aircraft control to the simulator device 16 as the output information.

[0034] According to this configuration, the aircraft 15 can be simulated using the software S1 installed in the aircraft 15, eliminating the need to develop the software S1 to be installed in the simulator device 16. Furthermore, by executing a simulation process based on the software S1 using the actual aircraft data D1, it is possible to accurately simulate the flight control of the aircraft 15. This makes it possible to accurately simulate the flight control of the aircraft 15 while reducing development costs.

[0035] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Simulator system 15 Aircraft 16 Simulator device 18 Communication network 21 Control unit 22 Storage unit 23 Communication unit 31 Control unit 32 Storage unit 33 Communication unit 34 Input unit 34a Operation terminal 35 Output unit S1, S2 Software D1 Actual aircraft data D2 Model data

Claims

1. A simulator system comprising: an aircraft having a control unit that executes aircraft control and a memory unit that stores software for executing the aircraft control; and a simulator device that inputs input information related to the aircraft control to the aircraft and acquires output information output from the aircraft, wherein the aircraft executes the software when a simulation of the aircraft is being executed; the memory unit stores actual aircraft data that has been assigned response characteristics related to the aircraft control that correspond to the input information; and the control unit acquires the input information from the simulator device when a simulation of the aircraft is being executed, executes the aircraft control using the software based on the acquired input information and the actual aircraft data, and outputs the control results of the aircraft control to the simulator device as the output information.

2. The simulator system according to claim 1, wherein the simulator device has a storage unit that stores model data for simulating the aircraft control corresponding to the input information, and the simulator device executes a mode selection process during the simulation of the aircraft to select between a real aircraft mode that is a simulation using the real aircraft data and a general-purpose mode that is a simulation using the model data.

3. A simulation method executed by a simulator system comprising an aircraft and a simulator device that inputs input information related to aircraft control to the aircraft and acquires output information output from the aircraft, wherein the aircraft has: a control unit that executes the aircraft control; and a memory unit that stores software for executing the aircraft control, the aircraft is executing the software when a simulation of the aircraft is being executed, and the memory unit stores actual aircraft data to which response characteristics related to the aircraft control corresponding to the input information have been assigned, and the control unit acquires the input information from the simulator device when a simulation of the aircraft is being executed, executes the aircraft control using the software based on the acquired input information and the actual aircraft data, and outputs the control results of the aircraft control to the simulator device as the output information.

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