Evolution of the Foxtrot simulator's gimbal control system

Carlos G. Maraviglia; Robert J. Moser

doi:10.1117/12.277176

23 June 1997 Evolution of the Foxtrot simulator's gimbal control system

Carlos G. Maraviglia, Robert J. Moser

Proceedings Volume 3086, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing XI; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.277176
Event: AeroSense '97, 1997, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The Foxtrot System is an IR simulator that is mounted in a pod under the wing of a test aircraft. It sues a gimbal control system that points and stabilizes an IR camera. The video signal form this camera is sent to an image processor that analyzes the signal in order to detect features of interest in a scene and then make tracking decisions for the gimbal system. The gimbal system has evolved from an analog linear prototype system controlled by an eight bit microprocessor to the present VME bus based system that is controlled by a real time operating system. Starting with the premise that some key systems components are now and expected to remain analog in nature, this paper discusses the evolution of Foxtrot's gimbal system architecture that is taking place in order to accommodate both these required analog interfaces and advances in software and hardware technology. Discussion then focuses on improvements that can be made to the system by mathematically modeling it on a software simulator such as MATLAB. The response of the system can then be described as a difference equation and the emerging capabilities of Digital Signal Processing can be utilized to improve system performance.

Citation Download Citation

Carlos G. Maraviglia and Robert J. Moser "Evolution of the Foxtrot simulator's gimbal control system", Proc. SPIE 3086, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing XI, (23 June 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.277176

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