Real-time simulation of rotorcraft wake

Joshua Gaston; Eric Grigorian; Christopher Cordell; Clark Eliason; Douglas Hope; Oliver Pierson; John Stewart; Zechun Yang

doi:10.1117/12.2619057

27 May 2022 Real-time simulation of rotorcraft wake

Joshua Gaston, Eric Grigorian, Christopher Cordell, Clark Eliason, Douglas Hope, Oliver Pierson, John Stewart, Zechun Yang

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12106, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXXIII; 121060E (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2619057
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2022, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

In operational environments, pilots of rotorcraft such as the Apache, Blackhawk, and other variants have been involved in catastrophic accidents, due to pilots’ inability to rely on visual indicators for landing. In 2019, the Army reported that over the past 10 years, there have been 87 rotorcraft accidents due Degraded Visual Environments (DVE)—resulting in 122 fatalities and over $1.18B in material losses [1]. This phenomenon poses a formidable hazard to advanced tilt rotor platforms. Dust clouds, rain, and other meteorological effects can obscure or degrade instrument readings and make it difficult for pilots to navigate safely—especially during takeoff and landing. In these types of degraded visibility environments, pilots must depend on instruments for situational awareness, making accurate sensing and reporting crucial to a real-time understanding of the environment. This research is intended to address gaps in the rotorcraft Hardware-InThe-Loop (HWIL) DVE simulation systems currently in use. Specifically, the research is intended to produce a physicsbased realistic representation of DVE conditions for a HWIL simulator to demonstrate the impact of DVE on sensor emulator performances. DVE testing in a simulated environment requires a representation of rotor induced aerosol concentration around the aircraft. Additionally, the simulation requires the ability to visualize the degradation of sensor performance by rotor-induced aerosols [2]. Having end-to-end control over the physical model, it is possible to extend the effects of DVE on sensors beyond just textures and statistical models to physics-based models.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Joshua Gaston, Eric Grigorian, Christopher Cordell, Clark Eliason, Douglas Hope, Oliver Pierson, John Stewart, and Zechun Yang "Real-time simulation of rotorcraft wake", Proc. SPIE 12106, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXXIII, 121060E (27 May 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2619057

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