Model-Based FPGA Implementation of a 6-DoF Dynamical Model Accelerator

Abstract

The mathematical model of a 6-DoF dynamics is used in different applications. In general, to implement the 6-DoF dynamic model, software-based solutions are utilized. This paper introduces FPGAbased implementation of the 6-DoF dynamics accelerator. The proposed hardware-based approach ensures model accuracy in a nonlinear manner without compromising computational speed. In the design and implementation stages, the model-based approach and high-level synthesis have been employed. In terms of design strategy, standard processor architecture and resource sharing methods have been applied to achieve FPGA resource efficiency. In total, 7 datapath and a finite state machines have been designed for 7 different subsystems. The design resulted in hardware blocks that can execute all non-linear model equations 396 times in 1 ms using fixed/floating-point hybrid case, and 434 times using pure fixed-point case. The model equations, which took an average of 0.4986 s to simulate in the Simulink environment, have been run on an FPGA in 7.1924 µs. For 7 different design cases, numerical errors, resource utilization and timing metrics are tabulated and presented to the reader.INDEX TERMS 6-DoF, FPGA, Model-based design, High-level synthesis, Dynamics, Quadrotor.