System Applications - Government

Army Vehicle Simulator Summary: This is a VXI-based data acquisition and control system for a vehicle-in-the-loop simulator. It is being used with a wide variety of U.S. Army vehicles, including tanks. It replaces a CAMAC-based system delivered to the customer by KineticSystems 10 years earlier.

This motion simulator provides six-degree-of-freedom motion to reproduce the movement of any Army vehicle. The crew compartment can also be reconfigured to simulate the controls and firing mechanisms of those vehicles. The simulator is used for personnel-in-the-loop simulation, war exercises, crew station and component development, and crew workload/task performance studies. The data acquisition system records simulator motion data, operator performance and scenario events.

The data system includes 48 channels of analog-to-digital conversion, sampling in a range from one sample per second to 1000 samples per second. The data can be taken in transient or continuous mode, and the system provides 4 megasamples of memory. There is also an 8-channel DAC/waveform generator that can be used to control the hydraulicactuators that move the crew compartment cage. This module includes a 2-port memory that is sampled at a programmed rate, allowing hours of digitized test-track data to be moved from the host-computer's hard disk. The 16 channels of isolated 5 Vdc and 28 Vdc digital inputs record data from the simulator such as actions taken by the operator. The 16 digital outputs drive lights and annunciators within the crew cab. A time interval counter is also included to measure response times of the soldiers operating the vehicle.

With the DAQ Director software, this integrated system allows the test system designers the flexibility of changing their tests rapidly and efficiently with the available graphical programming tools. Signal conditioning as well as other hardware and software features can be added to the system to address future requirements. This will have no major impact on software development due to DAQ Director's ability to be easily reconfigured.

The primary KineticSystems products used in this application are:

• AC10 DAQ Director Data Acquisition Software
• 2962 Grand Interconnect PCI Host Adapter
• V160 Grand Interconnect VXI Slot-0 Controller with fiber optic interface
• V195 13-Slot, C-Size, VXIbus Mainframe
• V207 16-bit, 500,000 Sample/sec ADC host for the V241 modules
• V241 96-channel, High-level Multiplexer
• V285 8/16-channel, 500 kHz DAC/Waveform Generator
• V387 128-channel Discrete Input/Output
• V625 6-channel Time Interval Counter

This application note is provided "as is" without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. KineticSystems Company, LLC further does not warrant the accuracy and completeness of the material contained herein. KineticSystems Company, LLC may make changes to this material, or to the products described in it, at any time without notice.

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