Eigenmode Distortion Analysis for Motion Cueing Evaluation in Fixed-Wing Aircraft Simulators

Abstract

The Eigenmode Distortion (EMD) analysis is a novel method for objective evaluation of simulator motion cueing fidelity, developed at Delft University of Technology. It expresses the distortions of the perceived motion cues in terms of the dynamic modes of a linear model of the vehicle and has been applied to assess rotorcraft simulations. This paper presents the adaptation of EMD for fixed wing aircraft, including performing the analysis at the pilot station instead of the centre of gravity. The method is applied to a combined linear model of a Cessna Citation 500 aircraft and the Classical Washout Algorithm (CWA). EMD is compared to the current state-of-the-art objective method, the Objective Motion Cueing Test (OMCT), which does not consider the dynamics of the simulated vehicle in its analysis. The two methods show different results in their cueing fidelity assessment of four CWA configurations. An experiment with six pilots is performed in the SIMONA Research Simulator to test the capability of EMD and OMCT to predict the cueing fidelity as perceived by pilots. The subjects perform pairwise comparisons between the four CWA configurations by exciting the short period dynamics of the aircraft. Results indicate that preferences vary considerably between pilots, causing both EMD and OMCT to show poor, but similar, predictive capabilities.

Perceptual Eigenmode Distortion Analysis for Motion Cueing Evaluation in Fixed-Wing Aircraft Simulators

“…This paper extends the earlier work on the EMD method [9] by applying it to an asymmetrical flight condition. Equation 9shows the dimensional asymmetric EOM, which can be derived from flight dynamics.…”

“…MPFs are useful to identify which modes are excited in a particular manoeuvre. In the experiment performed by Stoev et al [9], the short period eigenmode was excited by the pilot as illustrated by the dominant MPF. The short period is a desired mode necessary for performing manoeuvres, such as pitch captures, and is easily excited.…”

“…For this, the spiral mode was excluded. Pilot feedback from previous experiments indicated that simultaneous tuning could improve the realism of motion cues [9], and therefore = = 0.5 was chosen. For all configurations, a representative Dutch roll manoeuvre, in which the Dutch roll was excited by the pilot with a repeated rudder input, was simulated to ensure that the found MCA settings did not exceed the available motion space.…”

“…In the experiment, a series of pair-wise comparisons between the three MCA configurations were performed as a subjective evaluation. This format was based on the experiment by Stoev et al [9], which received positive feedback.…”

“…Initially, EMD was developed for and applied to rotorcraft simulators [7]. Recent work of Stoev et al [9] has extended EMD to fixed-wing aircraft simulations and applied it to a linear model of the Cessna Citation 500 for symmetric flight in combination with the Classical Washout Algorithm (CWA) [1] as the MCA.…”