Slide 1

Flight Simulation Ch 8
A Case Study in an
Architecture for
Integrability
Boeing 747 flight simulator in action from
http://www.bornrich.org/entry/plane-fanatic-builds-30k-
boeing-747-flight-simulator-in-his-bedroom/.
Before software - the Wallingford Improved Flight Trainer,
1942. From www.janusmuseum.org/flight/flight.htm .
Slide 2
Coming Up
Today
Term paper - Intro
Ch 08 Flight Simulation this
Intro see for example YouTube vids:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGyJ
qXJWkuY .
Thursday
Present outcomes for Project 2
Turn in Thurs night (and HW 3 -
Yikes!)
How to clean the Gherkin
Slide 3
Overview
Structural Model
Minimize modules
N-Square charts
Requirements and
Qualities
Three roles
Lots of constraints
Architectural Solution
Treatment of time (real-
time)



Slide 4
Pattern - Structural Model
Simplicity and similarity of the systems
substructures
Decoupling of data- and control-passing
strategies from computation
Minimizing module types
A small number of system-wide
coordination strategies
Transparency of design
Slide 5
Structural Model
Slide 6
Roles
The Crew
The people being trained
The Simulator Instructor
Monitors crew performance
Initiates training situations
The Environment
Atmosphere, threats,
weapons, other aircraft

Maybe that ones
not one of ours?
Modern simulator
from the outside.
Slide 7
Requirements and Qualities
Real-time performance
constraints
Continuous development
and modification
Maintains verisimilitude =
realism, as the airplanes
changed specs
Large size and high
complexity
Developed in
geographically
distributed areas
Slide 8
Problems
Expensive to debug, test, and modify
Increased cost of integration
Unclear mapping between software
structure and aircraft structure
Many coupling effects to be considered
E.g., pilot moves the rudder and aileron controls,
which move the control surfaces, which affects the
aerodynamics and causes the aircraft to turn.
Performance fidelity is # 1 goal

Slide 9
Architectural Solution
Treatment of Time
Periodic time management
A fixed time quantum based on frame rate
Non-preemptive cycle scheduling
invokes each process for a
fixed time quantum
Event-based time management
Interrupt based
Adds new events into event queue
Does in order of soonest needed
But all messages from a single source must be done in order!
Mixed-time systems
The two above systems must interact


Slide 10
Architectural Solution, cntd
Structural Model Architectural Pattern
Executive
Handles the coordination issues
Application
Handles computation of the simulation
Functions are implemented by subsystems

Slide 11
Modules
Executive
Timeline Synchronizer
Periodic Sequencer
Event handler
Surrogate
Connects air vehicle model to environment model
Application
Subsystem controller
Controller children
Slide 12
Allocation of Functionality
to controller children
Based on OO modeling of the objects of
the real airplane:
Kinetics the physics
Aircraft systems distribution of energy
within the airframe
Avionics ancillary support
Environment
Slide 13
Decomposition
n-Square Charts
What Partition 2 communicates with

Partition 1 Inputs
Outputs Partition 2 Outputs
Inputs
Partition 3
Slide 14
Air Vehicle Model Domain
An example
Kinetics Group Loads
Vehicle State
Vector
Vehicle
Position
Power
Aircraft
Systems Group
Power
Inertial State Loads Avionics Group
Ownship
Emissions
Atmosphere,
Terrain, and
Weather
Environment
Emitter Data
Environment
Group
Slide 15
Summary
How the architecture achieves
Performance
Executive with time budgets, and
Periodic scheduling strategy
Integrability
All data and control pass through a subsystem
controller as an intermediary
Each partition was restricted in inputs and outputs
Modifiability
Few base module configurations for the designer and
maintainer to understand
Slide 16
Questions?