As seekers increase in accuracy and agility, motion simulators must advance in dynamic performance. Certain specifications have major effects in the configuration of a motion simulator. These critical specifications include bandwidth, acceleration, accuracy, axis travel, and payload size. These specifications intertwine and produce a simulator drive system (hydraulic or electric) with a specific simulator weight and facility power requirements. This paper discusses the specification characteristics, their effects on simulator configurations, and typical value ranges for a five-axis flight/target motion system. The performance boundaries of electric and hydraulic drive systems have increased due to the newer magnetic materials and the higher-pressure hydraulic systems. The higher power to weight ratios produce increased accelerations. At the same time, newer seekers and target scene projectors are smaller allowing higher simulator performance.

Date Published: 11 April 2008
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 6942, Technologies for Synthetic Environments: Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing XIII, 694202 (11 April 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.783407

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6942:
Technologies for Synthetic Environments: Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing XIII
Robert Lee Murrer Jr., Editor(s)