Real-Time Implementation and Validation for Automated Path Following Lateral Control Using Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Simulation

Author(s):  
Adit Joshi
Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonel Estrada ◽  
Nimrod Vázquez ◽  
Joaquín Vaquero ◽  
Ángel de Castro ◽  
Jaime Arau

Nowadays, the use of the hardware in the loop (HIL) simulation has gained popularity among researchers all over the world. One of its main applications is the simulation of power electronics converters. However, the equipment designed for this purpose is difficult to acquire for some universities or research centers, so ad-hoc solutions for the implementation of HIL simulation in low-cost hardware for power electronics converters is a novel research topic. However, the information regarding implementation is written at a high technical level and in a specific language that is not easy for non-expert users to understand. In this paper, a systematic methodology using LabVIEW software (LabVIEW 2018) for HIL simulation is shown. A fast and easy implementation of power converter topologies is obtained by means of the differential equations that define each state of the power converter. Five simple steps are considered: designing the converter, modeling the converter, solving the model using a numerical method, programming an off-line simulation of the model using fixed-point representation, and implementing the solution of the model in a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). This methodology is intended for people with no experience in the use of languages as Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) for Real-Time Simulation (RTS) and HIL simulation. In order to prove the methodology’s effectiveness and easiness, two converters were simulated—a buck converter and a three-phase Voltage Source Inverter (VSI)—and compared with the simulation of commercial software (PSIM® v9.0) and a real power converter.


Author(s):  
Drew J. Rankin ◽  
Jin Jiang

This paper presents the performance of shutdown system one (SDS1) implemented on a programmable logic controller (PLC) within real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. SDS1 evaluation is focused on steam generator (SG) level low trip scenarios. A comparison of the findings with simulated expected plant operation is performed. An Invensys Triconex Tricon v9 safety PLC is interfaced to a real-time nuclear power plant (NPP) simulation suite (DarlSIM), replicating the operation of the Darlington NPP SDS1. Design basis accidents (DBA) associated with SDS1 regulatory standards are developed and applied to the two simulation environments. HIL simulation is a preferred method for testing systems prior to installation and is necessary to ensure proper SDS verification and validation. The performance of the Tricon v9 PLC, the HIL simulation platform and the two simulation environments are evaluated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-476
Author(s):  
Awanish Chandra Dubey ◽  
Anantha V Subramanian

This paper presents an hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation system tool to test and validate an autonomous free running model system for ship hydrodynamic studies with a view to verification of the code, the control logic and system peripherals. The computer simulation of the plant model in real-time computer does not require the actual physical system and reduces the development cost and time for control design and testing purposes. The HIL system includes: the actual programmable embedded controller along with peripherals and a plant model virtually simulated in a real-time computer. With regard to ship controller design for ship model testing, this study describes a plant model for surge and a Nomoto first order steering dynamics, both implemented using Simulink software suit. The surge model captures a quasi-steady state relationship between surge speed and the propeller rpms, obtained from simple forward speed towing tank tests or derived analytically. The Nomoto first order steering dynamics is obtained by performing the standard turning circle test at model scale. The control logic obtained is embedded in a NI-cRIO based controller. The surge and steering dynamics models are used to design a proportional-derivative controller and an LQR controller. The controller runs a Linux based real-time operating system programmed using LabVIEW software. The HIL simulation tool allows for the emulation of standard ship hydrodynamic tests consisting of straight line, turning circle and zigzag to validate the combined system performance, prior to actual for use in the autonomous free-running tests.


2013 ◽  
Vol 278-280 ◽  
pp. 1804-1808
Author(s):  
Qian Long Yang

A hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation platform in use of windows operation system was successfully established based on general industrial PC combined with an external timer. The following HIL simulation process of missile control system indicated that the novel platform could not only satisfied the real-time requirement of HIL simulation, but also is low-cost and universal, which could provide a convenient new choice in the similar applications.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3274
Author(s):  
Jose Rueda Torres ◽  
Zameer Ahmad ◽  
Nidarshan Veera Kumar ◽  
Elyas Rakhshani ◽  
Ebrahim Adabi ◽  
...  

Future electrical power systems will be dominated by power electronic converters, which are deployed for the integration of renewable power plants, responsive demand, and different types of storage systems. The stability of such systems will strongly depend on the control strategies attached to the converters. In this context, laboratory-scale setups are becoming the key tools for prototyping and evaluating the performance and robustness of different converter technologies and control strategies. The performance evaluation of control strategies for dynamic frequency support using fast active power regulation (FAPR) requires the urgent development of a suitable power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) setup. In this paper, the most prominent emerging types of FAPR are selected and studied: droop-based FAPR, droop derivative-based FAPR, and virtual synchronous power (VSP)-based FAPR. A novel setup for PHIL-based performance evaluation of these strategies is proposed. The setup combines the advanced modeling and simulation functions of a real-time digital simulation platform (RTDS), an external programmable unit to implement the studied FAPR control strategies as digital controllers, and actual hardware. The hardware setup consists of a grid emulator to recreate the dynamic response as seen from the interface bus of the grid side converter of a power electronic-interfaced device (e.g., type-IV wind turbines), and a mockup voltage source converter (VSC, i.e., a device under test (DUT)). The DUT is virtually interfaced to one high-voltage bus of the electromagnetic transient (EMT) representation of a variant of the IEEE 9 bus test system, which has been modified to consider an operating condition with 52% of the total supply provided by wind power generation. The selected and programmed FAPR strategies are applied to the DUT, with the ultimate goal of ascertaining its feasibility and effectiveness with respect to the pure software-based EMT representation performed in real time. Particularly, the time-varying response of the active power injection by each FAPR control strategy and the impact on the instantaneous frequency excursions occurring in the frequency containment periods are analyzed. The performed tests show the degree of improvements on both the rate-of-change-of-frequency (RoCoF) and the maximum frequency excursion (e.g., nadir).


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
D. Sartori ◽  
F. Quagliotti ◽  
M.J. Rutherford ◽  
K.P. Valavanis

Abstract Backstepping represents a promising control law for fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Its non-linearity and its adaptation capabilities guarantee adequate control performance over the whole flight envelope, even when the aircraft model is affected by parametric uncertainties. In the literature, several works apply backstepping controllers to various aspects of fixed-wing UAV flight. Unfortunately, many of them have not been implemented in a real-time controller, and only few attempt simultaneous longitudinal and lateral–directional aircraft control. In this paper, an existing backstepping approach able to control longitudinal and lateral–directional motions is adapted for the definition of a control strategy suitable for small UAV autopilots. Rapidly changing inner-loop variables are controlled with non-adaptive backstepping, while slower outer loop navigation variables are Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) controlled. The controller is evaluated through numerical simulations for two very diverse fixed-wing aircraft performing complex manoeuvres. The controller behaviour with model parametric uncertainties or in presence of noise is also tested. The performance results of a real-time implementation on a microcontroller are evaluated through hardware-in-the-loop simulation.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
A. Guo ◽  
Z. Zhou ◽  
R. Wang ◽  
X. Zhao ◽  
X. Zhu

Abstract The full-wing solar-powered UAV has a large aspect ratio, special configuration, and excellent aerodynamic performance. This UAV converts solar energy into electrical energy for level flight and storage to improve endurance performance. The UAV only uses a differential throttle for lateral control, and the insufficient control capability during crosswind landing results in a large lateral distance bias and leads to multiple landing failures. This paper analyzes 11 landing failures and finds that a large lateral distance bias at the beginning of the approach and the coupling of base and differential throttle control is the main reason for multiple landing failures. To improve the landing performance, a heading angle-based vector field (VF) method is applied to the straight-line and orbit paths following and two novel 3D Dubins landing paths are proposed to reduce the initial lateral control bias. The results show that the straight-line path simulation exhibits similar phenomenon with the practical failure; the single helical path has the highest lateral control accuracy; the left-arc to left-arc (L-L) path avoids the saturation of the differential throttle; and both paths effectively improve the probability of successful landing.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 593
Author(s):  
Moiz Muhammad ◽  
Holger Behrends ◽  
Stefan Geißendörfer ◽  
Karsten von Maydell ◽  
Carsten Agert

With increasing changes in the contemporary energy system, it becomes essential to test the autonomous control strategies for distributed energy resources in a controlled environment to investigate power grid stability. Power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) concept is an efficient approach for such evaluations in which a virtually simulated power grid is interfaced to a real hardware device. This strongly coupled software-hardware system introduces obstacles that need attention for smooth operation of the laboratory setup to validate robust control algorithms for decentralized grids. This paper presents a novel methodology and its implementation to develop a test-bench for a real-time PHIL simulation of a typical power distribution grid to study the dynamic behavior of the real power components in connection with the simulated grid. The application of hybrid simulation in a single software environment is realized to model the power grid which obviates the need to simulate the complete grid with a lower discretized sample-time. As an outcome, an environment is established interconnecting the virtual model to the real-world devices. The inaccuracies linked to the power components are examined at length and consequently a suitable compensation strategy is devised to improve the performance of the hardware under test (HUT). Finally, the compensation strategy is also validated through a simulation scenario.


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