WO1994010665A1 - Simulator mechanism - Google Patents
Simulator mechanism Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1994010665A1 WO1994010665A1 PCT/GB1993/002258 GB9302258W WO9410665A1 WO 1994010665 A1 WO1994010665 A1 WO 1994010665A1 GB 9302258 W GB9302258 W GB 9302258W WO 9410665 A1 WO9410665 A1 WO 9410665A1
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- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- simulator
- actuators
- plane
- points
- freedom
- Prior art date
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
- G09B9/00—Simulators for teaching or training purposes
- G09B9/02—Simulators for teaching or training purposes for teaching control of vehicles or other craft
- G09B9/08—Simulators for teaching or training purposes for teaching control of vehicles or other craft for teaching control of aircraft, e.g. Link trainer
- G09B9/12—Motion systems for aircraft simulators
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- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
- G09B9/00—Simulators for teaching or training purposes
- G09B9/02—Simulators for teaching or training purposes for teaching control of vehicles or other craft
- G09B9/08—Simulators for teaching or training purposes for teaching control of vehicles or other craft for teaching control of aircraft, e.g. Link trainer
- G09B9/12—Motion systems for aircraft simulators
- G09B9/14—Motion systems for aircraft simulators controlled by fluid actuated piston or cylinder ram
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a simulator mechanism such as an aircraft simulator which controls the motion of a capsule and causes it to move with 3 degrees of freedom.
- a simulator mechanism such as an aircraft simulator which controls the motion of a capsule and causes it to move with 3 degrees of freedom.
- Such a simulator mechanism may be used to reproduce the motion of a car, boat, space craft, roller coaster or other vehicle.
- the simulator provides motion cues which create psychological impressions of real movements in the six possible axes of heave, pitch, roll, sway, surge an yaw.
- GB 2068322 discloses a motion system providing three degrees of freedom for a flight simulator .
- extendible actuators are mounted on a base apart from each other and providing vertical forces to a motion platform to which the simulation capsule is to be affixed.
- any rotation applied to the motion platform must have an associated lateral force.
- the centre of mass of the capsule moves laterally when it rotates about an axis which is, in this case, below it.
- a lateral force must exist in the mechanism and this lateral force is provided by the bearings of the restraining frames. It is therefore necessary for these restraining frames to be sufficiently robust to resist the lateral forces which are generated by impulsive pitch and roll actions of the simulator capsule.
- EP 317062 discloses a simulator mechanism capable of operating in three degrees of freedom comprising a base having a fixed plane, a simulator plane and three independently extendible actuators capable of changing the position of the simulator plane relative to the base plane.
- the three actuators are pivotally coupled with universal freedom at substantially a single point on the fixed plane.
- Each actuator is pivotally coupled to a point on the simulator plane, these coupling points being situated at the three vertices of a triangle.
- EP 317062 The principal advantage of EP 317062 is that, because the actuators extend outwards from a point beneath or close to the centre of mass of the simulator capsule, the lateral forces required to rotate the capsule about a point which is significantly beneath it (lateral forces) are applied directly by the actuators themselves. There is therefore no need for a robust restraining frame mechanism.
- An alternative method of considering the advantage in the design of this mechanism is that, by Newton's third law, it must always be possible to draw a closed physical connection path between the upper end of an actuator and the lower end of the same actuator in order that the forces within the motion mechanism may be balanced. In the design of GB 2068322 this path of physical stress must pass through the bearings of the restraining frames, whereas in EP 317062 this is not necessary, the forces of one actuator being returned through the shafts of the other two opposing actuators.
- Embodiments of the present invention remove the requirement for a restraining mechanism by arranging for the actuators themselves to be so constrained as to provide an intrinsic resistance to forces which tend to rotate the actuator mechanism about a vertical axis (yaw-rate), or to cause it to fall to the left or right (sway), or to fall forwards or backwards (surge) from its previous position.
- a simulator mechanism operable in three selected degrees of freedom comprising a base plane, a simulator plane and three extendible actuators capable of changing the position and the orientation of the simulator plane with respect to the base plane in three selectable degrees of freedom, the three actuators being coupled with one axis of freedom at points separated significantly from each other on the base plane and pivotally coupled with universal freedom at points separated significantly from each other on the simulator plane.
- each of the actuators is coupled to the base plane through a bearing such as a hinge, which is robustly constructed to allow pivoting about one axis only. It is advantageous for the axes of these bearings to form the sides of a triangle, which is preferably an equilateral triangle. It is also preferred that the axes of the actuators intersect with the simulator plane at points which form the corners of a triangle, which in some preferable embodiments is an equilateral triangle. It is then possible to ensure, even while the actuators are moving, that the axes of the actuators each diverge from points on a common line.
- the actuators may have the same lengths, at a minimum and maximum extension, as each other, or these lengths may differ from each other.
- the sizes and positions of the triangles on the base and simulator planes, and the lengths of the actuators are chosen such that the centre of mass of a simulator capsule on the simulator plane may be kept above the centroid of the points at which the actuators are coupled to the base plane.
- This condition may be maintained to a desired level of accuracy by external control, either by physically controlling the range of position and/or lengths which each actuator may assume, by computer control of signals to the actuators, or otherwise.
- the resultant motion caused by extending and shortening the actuators in combination with the rotation of the actuators about their allowed axes limited of course by the fixed distance apart of the points at which the actuators are joined to their hinges, and by the fixed distance apart of the points at which the actuators are joined to the simulator plane, will be a combination of movements of the heave, pitch and roll types.
- the actuators themselves may be of any type that allows linear extension and contraction, such as electromagnetic rams, pneumatic or hydraulic pistons, ballscrew actuators, or others.
- a hinge bearing must be mounted with at least two points of contact, and generally with a line of contact along the hinge-axis if it is to prevent motion with more than one degree of freedom.
- the range of lengths of the actuators and the positions of their coupling points with the planes prefferably be such that the simulator plane can be lowered to allow users of the simulator to enter and leave a capsule mounted to it, while allowing the simulator plane to be raised a safe distance above the base plane during use in order that the planes and the actuators do not contact each other accidentally while in motion.
- Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a simulator mechanism according to the present invention, with parts of the actuator support structure left out for clarity.
- Figure 2 shows the part of Figure 1 relating to one actuator in more detail, with the support structure of that actuator shown.
- Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a simulator mechanism according to the present invention
- Figure 4 shows in diagrammatic form examples of positions and orientations of the simulator plane when the actuators are extended or shortened one at a time.
- Figure 5 shows a set of mutually perpendicular axes, with the six standard degrees of freedom of motion of a body in space shown on the axes.
- Figure 1 shows a general form of preferred embodiment of a simulator mechanism according to the present invention.
- a base plane 10 which may rest on a floor or be otherwise stably supported, and a simulator plane 40 on which would be mounted a capsule (not shown) that is to undergo simulated motion.
- the capsule may represent a cabin, such as an aircraft cabin, in which a user would stay during use in order to be subjected to simulated motion of, in this example, an aircraft.
- actuators 30 On the base plane 10 are mounted three actuators 30 which may be any type of linearly extendible ram. Note that any required connections (eg 33, in Figure 2) to the actuators 30 are not shown in Figure 1.
- the actuators are mounted in such a way that each is free to rotate in direction A with one degree of freedom about a point 24 on the base plane 10.
- the actuators 30 may be mounted by means of hinges 26 whose axes each lie in the base plane 10.
- the axes about which the actuators are free to rotate in the example, the axes of the hinges
- This notional triangle 20 is preferably an equilateral triangle.
- the axes of the actuators 30 it is also preferable for the axes of the actuators 30 to intersect with the axes about which they are free to rotate at points 24 which are the midpoints of the sides 22 of the notional triangle 20 on the base plane 10. These points 24 can be thought of as the coupling points of the actuators 30.
- each coupling point 24 is the midpoint of one of the sides 22 of the notional triangle 20. They thus form a smaller notional triangle within the notional triangle 20.
- the axes of the actuators 30 diverge from points on a common line irrespective of their angular positions, this line preferably being the line perpendicular to the base plane, passing through the centroid of the notional triangle.
- each actuator 30 is therefore free to rotate in directions A about an axis which is along the side 22 of the triangle 20 to which it is connected.
- Each actuator 30 is also supported by support arms 34 hinged so as to be free to rotate about the same axis as the actuator (see Figure 2). This strengthens the structure and prevents the actuator 30 from buckling or from leaving its allowed axis of rotation, and puts less stress on the hinge 26 at the midpoint 24 of the side of the triangle.
- Each actuator 30 may be extended or shortened in directions B by a length up to that of an extendible arm 32 which in general is approximately equal to the length of the actuator, but may be longer if it is extendible in stages, with for example a telescopic action. This may be done by hydraulic means or otherwise.
- the extendible arm 32 may be supported by a slide bearing 38, to further strengthen the structure of the simulator mechanism.
- the arms 32 of the actuators 30 are each joined to a point of the simulator plane 40 by means of a universal bearing 36, the three bearings forming a notional triangle 50. This notional triangle 50 is preferably an equilateral triangle and is in the simulator plane 40.
- the two notional triangles 20 and 50 may be of a similar size or of different sizes, depending on the required extent of the motion and the stability required. Generally however the centre of mass of the capsule should be above the centroid of the triangle 50. In addition, the centre of mass of the capsule should be kept to a required level of accuracy, above the centroid of the points at which the actuators are coupled to the base plane. This condition may be maintained by suitable choices of sizes and positions of the triangles 20 and 50, lengths of the actuators 30 and/or external control of the types of movements that are caused by extending and shortening the actuators.
- the coupling points of the actuators 30 to the triangle 20 on the base plane 10 should thus be separated sufficiently from each other for the triangle 20 to be sufficiently large to provide a means of transferring the forces produced by the actuators to the stable base plane 10. Taking practical considerations into account, the length of each side 22 of the triangle 20 must at least be sufficient for the hinge and support arm structure to be accommodated.
- FIG. 2 shows the part of Figure 1 relating to one of the three actuators in more detail.
- the support structure for the actuator consisting of two support arms 34 mounted on a hinge 26 with an axis in common with the axis at the actuator 30, is shown in full for one actuator, and by means of dotted lines for the other two actuators.
- each actuator is able to rotate on the one axis 22 in directions A, and change its length in directions B under the control of the driving power source, represented by connection points 33, by extending and shortening the protruding length of the extendible arm 32.
- the actuators 30 may be any type of linearly extendible ram. Possible types include electromagnetic rams, hydraulic of pneumatic pistons, and ballscrew actuators in which the actuators 30 and their arms 32 are threaded such that the rotation of one of them in one direction or other about their common axis causes the extendible arm 32 to move further into or further out of the actuator. This rotation must not, of course, be allowed to change the plane in which the actuator 30 itself can rotate in relation to the base plane 10.
- Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a simulator mechanism according to the present invention.
- the mechanism is shown without a simulator capsule on the simulator plane 40.
- the embodiment shown has no additional support arms (34 in Fig. 2). Without support arms, a simulator mechanism has been built and is able to carry payloads in excess of 300kg.
- Figure 4 illustrates the possible positions and orientations of the simulator plane of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
- each actuator 30a, 30b may be extended to approximately twice its unextended length.
- the notional triangle 50 upon which the simulator plane 40 is mounted is moved from the position indicated by unbroken line 50 to the position indicated by broken line 50a', as the actuator 30 moves from the position indicated by unbroken line 30a to that indicated by broken line 30a 1 .
- Figure 5 shows the six possible degrees of freedom of a body moving in three dimensional space.
- There are three types of directional movements namely sway movements in directions Sw along one substantially horizontal axis, surge movements in directions Su along a second substantially horizontal axis, and heave movements in directions H along a substantially vertical axis.
- There are also three types of rotational movements namely pitch movements in directions P about one substantially horizontal axis, roll movements in directions R about a second substantially horizontal axis, and yaw movements in directions Y about a substantially vertical axis. Any motion in three dimensions of a rigid body can be described as a combination of these six degrees of freedom.
- the remaining types of movement namely the roll R, pitch P, and heave H types are those most often required in low-cost simulated motion because the other three can be adequately represented by coupling sway into roll, surge into pitch and yaw-rate into a combination of pitch and roll.
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Abstract
A simulator mechanism according to the present invention is operable in three selected degrees of freedom and comprises a base plane (10), a simulator plane (40), and three extendible actuators (30) capable of changing the position and orientation of the simulator plane, the three actuators being coupled with one axis of freedom at points separated from each other on the base plane, and pivotally coupled with universal freedom at points separated significantly from each other on the simulator plane. With an apparatus such as this, it is possible to simulate motion with the six degrees of freedom of three-dimensional space while only actually allowing motion with three degrees of freedom, such as those of the heave, pitch and roll types. It is also possible to perform such simulated motion without the need for restraining frames or a heavy base to balance otherwise unbalanced forces.
Description
SIMULATOR MECHANISM
The present invention relates to a simulator mechanism such as an aircraft simulator which controls the motion of a capsule and causes it to move with 3 degrees of freedom. Such a simulator mechanism may be used to reproduce the motion of a car, boat, space craft, roller coaster or other vehicle. The simulator provides motion cues which create psychological impressions of real movements in the six possible axes of heave, pitch, roll, sway, surge an yaw.
GB 2068322 discloses a motion system providing three degrees of freedom for a flight simulator . In this system extendible actuators are mounted on a base apart from each other and providing vertical forces to a motion platform to which the simulation capsule is to be affixed. Because the centre of mass of the capsule is not coincident with the intersection of the motion axes (in this case it is significantly above both the pitch and the roll axes) any rotation applied to the motion platform must have an associated lateral force. This is because the centre of mass of the capsule moves laterally when it rotates about an axis which is, in this case, below it. In order to produce this motion a lateral force must exist in the mechanism and this lateral force is provided by the bearings of the restraining frames. It is therefore necessary for these restraining frames to be sufficiently robust to resist the lateral forces which are generated by impulsive pitch and roll actions of the simulator capsule.
EP 317062 discloses a simulator mechanism capable of operating in three degrees of freedom comprising a base having a fixed plane, a simulator plane and three independently extendible actuators capable of changing the position of the simulator
plane relative to the base plane. The three actuators are pivotally coupled with universal freedom at substantially a single point on the fixed plane. Each actuator is pivotally coupled to a point on the simulator plane, these coupling points being situated at the three vertices of a triangle.
The principal advantage of EP 317062 is that, because the actuators extend outwards from a point beneath or close to the centre of mass of the simulator capsule, the lateral forces required to rotate the capsule about a point which is significantly beneath it (lateral forces) are applied directly by the actuators themselves. There is therefore no need for a robust restraining frame mechanism. An alternative method of considering the advantage in the design of this mechanism is that, by Newton's third law, it must always be possible to draw a closed physical connection path between the upper end of an actuator and the lower end of the same actuator in order that the forces within the motion mechanism may be balanced. In the design of GB 2068322 this path of physical stress must pass through the bearings of the restraining frames, whereas in EP 317062 this is not necessary, the forces of one actuator being returned through the shafts of the other two opposing actuators.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to provide restraining frames because, if the mechanism is to operate in only three of the possible six degrees of freedom, it follows that it must be prevented from moving in the remaining three degrees of freedom. In the case of the mechanism illustrated in EP 317062 it is necessary to prevent the assembly of actuators and the motion plane from rotating (yaw), falling to the left or right (sway), or falling forwards or backwards (surge).
The forces which would cause these movements are secondary ones which result from the finite imprecisions in the mechanisms and from the distance between the centre of mass of the capsule and a line drawn vertically through the actuation point on the base plane and the centroid of the triangle joining the upper mounting points of the actuators.
Embodiments of the present invention remove the requirement for a restraining mechanism by arranging for the actuators themselves to be so constrained as to provide an intrinsic resistance to forces which tend to rotate the actuator mechanism about a vertical axis (yaw-rate), or to cause it to fall to the left or right (sway), or to fall forwards or backwards (surge) from its previous position.
According to the present invention there is provided a simulator mechanism operable in three selected degrees of freedom comprising a base plane, a simulator plane and three extendible actuators capable of changing the position and the orientation of the simulator plane with respect to the base plane in three selectable degrees of freedom, the three actuators being coupled with one axis of freedom at points separated significantly from each other on the base plane and pivotally coupled with universal freedom at points separated significantly from each other on the simulator plane.
Preferably each of the actuators is coupled to the base plane through a bearing such as a hinge, which is robustly constructed to allow pivoting about one axis only. It is advantageous for the axes of these bearings to form the sides of a triangle, which is preferably an equilateral triangle. It is also preferred that the axes of the actuators intersect with the simulator plane
at points which form the corners of a triangle, which in some preferable embodiments is an equilateral triangle. It is then possible to ensure, even while the actuators are moving, that the axes of the actuators each diverge from points on a common line. The actuators may have the same lengths, at a minimum and maximum extension, as each other, or these lengths may differ from each other.
Preferably the sizes and positions of the triangles on the base and simulator planes, and the lengths of the actuators, are chosen such that the centre of mass of a simulator capsule on the simulator plane may be kept above the centroid of the points at which the actuators are coupled to the base plane. This condition may be maintained to a desired level of accuracy by external control, either by physically controlling the range of position and/or lengths which each actuator may assume, by computer control of signals to the actuators, or otherwise.
With such an arrangement, the resultant motion caused by extending and shortening the actuators in combination with the rotation of the actuators about their allowed axes, limited of course by the fixed distance apart of the points at which the actuators are joined to their hinges, and by the fixed distance apart of the points at which the actuators are joined to the simulator plane, will be a combination of movements of the heave, pitch and roll types.
The actuators themselves may be of any type that allows linear extension and contraction, such as electromagnetic rams, pneumatic or hydraulic pistons, ballscrew actuators, or others.
With some types of bearings it is likely that there will be more than a point of contact between each
actuator or its bearing, and each plane. For example, a hinge bearing must be mounted with at least two points of contact, and generally with a line of contact along the hinge-axis if it is to prevent motion with more than one degree of freedom. However, for the purposes of this invention, it is useful to define the point at which the axis of an actuator intersects with a plane as the "coupling point" of that actuator with that plane.
It is preferable for the range of lengths of the actuators and the positions of their coupling points with the planes to be such that the simulator plane can be lowered to allow users of the simulator to enter and leave a capsule mounted to it, while allowing the simulator plane to be raised a safe distance above the base plane during use in order that the planes and the actuators do not contact each other accidentally while in motion.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a simulator mechanism according to the present invention, with parts of the actuator support structure left out for clarity.
Figure 2 shows the part of Figure 1 relating to one actuator in more detail, with the support structure of that actuator shown.
Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a simulator mechanism according to the present invention;
Figure 4 shows in diagrammatic form examples of positions and orientations of the simulator plane when the actuators are extended or shortened one at a time.
Figure 5 shows a set of mutually perpendicular
axes, with the six standard degrees of freedom of motion of a body in space shown on the axes.
Figure 1 shows a general form of preferred embodiment of a simulator mechanism according to the present invention. As shown, there is a base plane 10, which may rest on a floor or be otherwise stably supported, and a simulator plane 40 on which would be mounted a capsule (not shown) that is to undergo simulated motion. The capsule may represent a cabin, such as an aircraft cabin, in which a user would stay during use in order to be subjected to simulated motion of, in this example, an aircraft.
On the base plane 10 are mounted three actuators 30 which may be any type of linearly extendible ram. Note that any required connections (eg 33, in Figure 2) to the actuators 30 are not shown in Figure 1. The actuators are mounted in such a way that each is free to rotate in direction A with one degree of freedom about a point 24 on the base plane 10. For example, the actuators 30 may be mounted by means of hinges 26 whose axes each lie in the base plane 10. In general, the axes about which the actuators are free to rotate (in the example, the axes of the hinges) can be extended so as to intersect with each other at points forming a notional triangle 20 with sides 22 on the base plane 10. This notional triangle 20 is preferably an equilateral triangle. It is also preferable for the axes of the actuators 30 to intersect with the axes about which they are free to rotate at points 24 which are the midpoints of the sides 22 of the notional triangle 20 on the base plane 10. These points 24 can be thought of as the coupling points of the actuators 30.
In the preferred example, each coupling point 24 is the midpoint of one of the sides 22 of the
notional triangle 20. They thus form a smaller notional triangle within the notional triangle 20. On account of this, the axes of the actuators 30 diverge from points on a common line irrespective of their angular positions, this line preferably being the line perpendicular to the base plane, passing through the centroid of the notional triangle.
It can, however, be ensured that the axes of the actuators 30 diverge from points on a common line in cases wherein the notional triangle 20 is not equilateral, thus allowing the extending and shortening of the actuators to cause different types of motion while still ensuring that unwanted degrees of freedom such as yaw can be excluded.
Returning to Figure 1, each actuator 30 is therefore free to rotate in directions A about an axis which is along the side 22 of the triangle 20 to which it is connected. Each actuator 30 is also supported by support arms 34 hinged so as to be free to rotate about the same axis as the actuator (see Figure 2). This strengthens the structure and prevents the actuator 30 from buckling or from leaving its allowed axis of rotation, and puts less stress on the hinge 26 at the midpoint 24 of the side of the triangle.
Each actuator 30 may be extended or shortened in directions B by a length up to that of an extendible arm 32 which in general is approximately equal to the length of the actuator, but may be longer if it is extendible in stages, with for example a telescopic action. This may be done by hydraulic means or otherwise. The extendible arm 32 may be supported by a slide bearing 38, to further strengthen the structure of the simulator mechanism. The arms 32 of the actuators 30 are each joined to a point of the simulator plane 40 by means of a universal bearing 36, the three bearings
forming a notional triangle 50. This notional triangle 50 is preferably an equilateral triangle and is in the simulator plane 40. The two notional triangles 20 and 50 may be of a similar size or of different sizes, depending on the required extent of the motion and the stability required. Generally however the centre of mass of the capsule should be above the centroid of the triangle 50. In addition, the centre of mass of the capsule should be kept to a required level of accuracy, above the centroid of the points at which the actuators are coupled to the base plane. This condition may be maintained by suitable choices of sizes and positions of the triangles 20 and 50, lengths of the actuators 30 and/or external control of the types of movements that are caused by extending and shortening the actuators. (This external control may be by physically preventing the actuators from reaching angles outside a required range, or by computer control of the lengths of the actuators according to predetermined algorithms or contemporaneous calculations.) The coupling points of the actuators 30 to the triangle 20 on the base plane 10 should thus be separated sufficiently from each other for the triangle 20 to be sufficiently large to provide a means of transferring the forces produced by the actuators to the stable base plane 10. Taking practical considerations into account, the length of each side 22 of the triangle 20 must at least be sufficient for the hinge and support arm structure to be accommodated.
Figure 2 shows the part of Figure 1 relating to one of the three actuators in more detail. The support structure for the actuator, consisting of two support arms 34 mounted on a hinge 26 with an axis in common with the axis at the actuator 30, is shown in full for one actuator, and by means of dotted lines for the other two actuators. With a structure such as this, each actuator is able to rotate on the one axis 22 in
directions A, and change its length in directions B under the control of the driving power source, represented by connection points 33, by extending and shortening the protruding length of the extendible arm 32.
The actuators 30 may be any type of linearly extendible ram. Possible types include electromagnetic rams, hydraulic of pneumatic pistons, and ballscrew actuators in which the actuators 30 and their arms 32 are threaded such that the rotation of one of them in one direction or other about their common axis causes the extendible arm 32 to move further into or further out of the actuator. This rotation must not, of course, be allowed to change the plane in which the actuator 30 itself can rotate in relation to the base plane 10.
Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a simulator mechanism according to the present invention. The mechanism is shown without a simulator capsule on the simulator plane 40. The embodiment shown has no additional support arms (34 in Fig. 2). Without support arms, a simulator mechanism has been built and is able to carry payloads in excess of 300kg.
Figure 4 illustrates the possible positions and orientations of the simulator plane of a preferred embodiment of the invention. In this example, it is assumed that each actuator 30a, 30b may be extended to approximately twice its unextended length. Assuming that actuator 30a is extended and that all other actuators remain unextended, the notional triangle 50 upon which the simulator plane 40 is mounted is moved from the position indicated by unbroken line 50 to the position indicated by broken line 50a', as the actuator 30 moves from the position indicated by unbroken line 30a to that indicated by broken line 30a1. Similarly, if actuator 30b is extended and the other actuators remain unextended, the notional triangle 50 upon which
the simulator plane 40 is mounted is moved from the position indicated by unbroken line 50 to the position indicated by broken line 50b', as the actuator 30 moves from the position indicated by unbroken line 30b to that indicated by broken line 30b* .
Figure 5 shows the six possible degrees of freedom of a body moving in three dimensional space. There are three types of directional movements, namely sway movements in directions Sw along one substantially horizontal axis, surge movements in directions Su along a second substantially horizontal axis, and heave movements in directions H along a substantially vertical axis. There are also three types of rotational movements, namely pitch movements in directions P about one substantially horizontal axis, roll movements in directions R about a second substantially horizontal axis, and yaw movements in directions Y about a substantially vertical axis. Any motion in three dimensions of a rigid body can be described as a combination of these six degrees of freedom.
Using the simulator mechanism described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, with the regular coupling positions based on the two equilateral triangles, movements of the sway Sw, surge Su, and yaw Y types are discouraged.
The remaining types of movement, namely the roll R, pitch P, and heave H types are those most often required in low-cost simulated motion because the other three can be adequately represented by coupling sway into roll, surge into pitch and yaw-rate into a combination of pitch and roll.
The embodiments of this invention described above therefore allow a 3-axis simulator mechanism to simulate motion in all six axes.
Claims
1. A simulator mechanism operable in three selected degrees of freedom, comprising a base plane, a simulator plane and three extendible actuators capable of changing the position and orientation of the simulator plane with respect to the base plane in three selectable degrees of freedom, the three actuators being coupled with one axis of freedom at points separated from each other on the base plane, and pivotally coupled with universal freedom at points separated significantly from each other on the simulator plane.
2. A simulator mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the actuators are coupled to the base plane by means of hinges whose axes of rotation form the sides of a triangle on the base plane.
3. A simulator mechanism according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the actuators are coupled to the base plane at points on the sides of an equilateral triangle on the base plane.
4. A simulator mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the coupling points lie at the mid-points of the sides of the equilateral triangle.
5. A simulator mechanism according to claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the actuators are coupled to the simulator plane at points which constitute the corners of an equilateral triangle in the simulator plane.
6. A simulator mechanism according to any of the preceding claims wherein the actuators are of equal minimum length.
7. A simulator mechanism according to any of the preceding claims wherein the actuators are of equal maximum length.
8. A simulator mechanism according to any of the preceding claims wherein a body on the simulator plane has its centre of mass above the centroid of the points at which the actuators are coupled to the simulator plane.
9. A simulator mechanism according to any of the preceding claims wherein the centroid of the points at which the actuators are coupled to the simulator plane is controlled to be kept above the centroid of the points at which the actuators are coupled to the base plane.
10. A simulator mechanism according to any of the preceding claims wherein the axes of the actuators each diverge from points along a common line.
11. A simulator mechanism according to claim 10 wherein said common line is the line perpendicular to the base plane, having its point of intersection with the base plane at the centroid of the points at which the actuators are coupled to the base plane.
12. A simulator mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the description and drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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GB9222961.6 | 1992-11-03 | ||
GB929222961A GB9222961D0 (en) | 1992-11-03 | 1992-11-03 | Simulator mechanism |
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Publication Number | Publication Date |
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WO1994010665A1 true WO1994010665A1 (en) | 1994-05-11 |
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PCT/GB1993/002258 WO1994010665A1 (en) | 1992-11-03 | 1993-11-03 | Simulator mechanism |
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WO (1) | WO1994010665A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5752834A (en) * | 1995-11-27 | 1998-05-19 | Ling; Shou Hung | Motion/force simulators with six or three degrees of freedom |
WO1998058357A1 (en) * | 1997-06-13 | 1998-12-23 | SOFTWINGS Société Anonyme | Flight simulator |
WO1999013445A1 (en) * | 1997-09-09 | 1999-03-18 | Stefan Otto | Motion simulator |
WO1999042975A1 (en) * | 1998-02-20 | 1999-08-26 | Stn Atlas Elektronik Gmbh | Motion system |
WO2018219840A1 (en) * | 2017-05-29 | 2018-12-06 | A O Ideas Gmbh | Screening device |
CN112834147A (en) * | 2021-01-04 | 2021-05-25 | 江苏富浩电子科技有限公司 | Connector connection stability check out test set |
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GB1080074A (en) * | 1963-04-11 | 1967-08-23 | Elliott Brothers London Ltd | Improvements in mechanical positioning systems |
US3577655A (en) * | 1969-05-19 | 1971-05-04 | Singer General Precision | Motion simulator |
EP0317062A1 (en) * | 1987-09-29 | 1989-05-24 | Super X Limited | Simulator mechanism |
WO1993001577A1 (en) * | 1991-07-12 | 1993-01-21 | Denne Developments Limited | Motion imparting apparatus |
-
1992
- 1992-11-03 GB GB929222961A patent/GB9222961D0/en active Pending
-
1993
- 1993-11-03 WO PCT/GB1993/002258 patent/WO1994010665A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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GB1080074A (en) * | 1963-04-11 | 1967-08-23 | Elliott Brothers London Ltd | Improvements in mechanical positioning systems |
US3577655A (en) * | 1969-05-19 | 1971-05-04 | Singer General Precision | Motion simulator |
EP0317062A1 (en) * | 1987-09-29 | 1989-05-24 | Super X Limited | Simulator mechanism |
WO1993001577A1 (en) * | 1991-07-12 | 1993-01-21 | Denne Developments Limited | Motion imparting apparatus |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5752834A (en) * | 1995-11-27 | 1998-05-19 | Ling; Shou Hung | Motion/force simulators with six or three degrees of freedom |
WO1998058357A1 (en) * | 1997-06-13 | 1998-12-23 | SOFTWINGS Société Anonyme | Flight simulator |
WO1999013445A1 (en) * | 1997-09-09 | 1999-03-18 | Stefan Otto | Motion simulator |
US6210164B1 (en) | 1997-09-09 | 2001-04-03 | Stefan Otto | Motion simulator |
WO1999042975A1 (en) * | 1998-02-20 | 1999-08-26 | Stn Atlas Elektronik Gmbh | Motion system |
WO2018219840A1 (en) * | 2017-05-29 | 2018-12-06 | A O Ideas Gmbh | Screening device |
CN110709176A (en) * | 2017-05-29 | 2020-01-17 | Ao概念有限公司 | Screening device and method of operation |
US11185889B2 (en) | 2017-05-29 | 2021-11-30 | A O Ideas Gmbh | Sieving device and operating method |
CN110709176B (en) * | 2017-05-29 | 2022-04-15 | Ao概念有限公司 | Screening device and method of operation |
CN112834147A (en) * | 2021-01-04 | 2021-05-25 | 江苏富浩电子科技有限公司 | Connector connection stability check out test set |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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GB9222961D0 (en) | 1992-12-16 |
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