Realization of Reconfigurable Virtual Environments for Virtual Testing

This paper presents the design and implementation of reconfigurable virtual environments (VEs) for virtual testing. It proposes a hybrid design approach that is derived from a so-called integration and composition of the reconfiguration strategy. The designing process has thus evolved from binding virtual objects using reconfiguration rules within the context of virtual testing scenarios. Therefore reconfigurable virtual environments are established with improved flexibility and scalability, tailored to a wide range of virtual testing applications. Those virtual environments integrate virtual testing scenarios, data acquisition, databases, rule mapping and application interfaces, which yield modular testing functions and an open-ended system architecture with a set of extensible interface tools to realize data exchange within reconfigurable VEs. This enables virtual testing scenarios to be reconfigured interactively based on real time data and communication between virtual environments and real environments. A virtual testing application has been implemented using reconfigurable VEs. Keywords Virtual environment - virtual testing - reconfigurable virtual reality Wenyan Wu graduated from Dalian University of Technology, China, with BSc and MSc in 1988 and 1991 respectively. She earned her PhD degree from University of Derby, UK, in 2002. She had taught and researched in Harbin Institute of Technology, China and De Montfort University, UK. She is currently a senior lecturer in simulation and virtual reality at Staffordshire University, UK. Her research interests include computer graphics, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality system, advanced interface, modelling and simulation, distribution system.Zhengxu Zhao BSc, MSc, PhD, CEng, CITP, MBCS, full Professor in Applied Computing, Director of Virtual Reality Centre. He is also a Cheng Kong Scholar Project Professor in Virtual Reality Technology and Director of Virtual Reality Research Centre at the Southeast University, P R China. Professor Zhao’s research interests include computing graphics and VR systems, industrial process simulation, CIM and manufacturing management systems.

Stereoscopic Camera-Sensor Model for the Development of Highly Automated Driving Functions within a Virtual Test Environment

The need for efficient and reproducible development processes for sensor and perception systems is growing with their increased use in modern vehicles. Such processes can be achieved by using virtual test environments and virtual sensor models. In the context of this, the present paper documents the development of a sensor model for depth estimation of virtual three-dimensional scenarios. For this purpose, the geometric and algorithmic principles of stereoscopic camera systems are recreated in a virtual form. The model is implemented as a subroutine in the Epic Games Unreal Engine, which is one of the most common Game Engines. Its architecture consists of several independent procedures that enable a local depth estimation, but also a reconstruction of a whole three-dimensional scenery. In addition, a separate programme for calibrating the model is presented. In addition to the basic principles, the architecture and the implementation, this work also documents the evaluation of the model created. It is shown that the model meets specifically defined requirements for real-time capability and the accuracy of the evaluation. Thus, it is suitable for the virtual testing of common algorithms and highly automated driving functions.

Virtual rutting test of asphalt mixture using discrete element method

In order to investigate the permanent deformation behavior of asphalt mixtures from discontinuity, the virtual rutting test of asphalt mixtures is developed by the discrete element method （DEM）. A digital specimen generation procedure considering aggregate gradation and irregular shape is developed based on the probability theory and the Monte Carlo method. The virtual rutting test is then conducted based on the generated digital specimen. In addition, on the basis of the time-temperature superposition （TTS） principle, a calculation method is used to reduce the computation time of the virtual rutting test. The simulation results are compared with the laboratory measurements. The results show that the calculation method based on the TFS principle in the discrete element （DE） viscoelastic model can significantly reduce the computation time. The deformation law of asphalt mixtures in the virtual rutting test is similar to the laboratory measurements, and the deformation and the dynamic stability of the virtual rutting test are slightly greater than the laboratory measurements. The two-dimensional virtual rutting test can predict the permanent deformation performance of asphalt mixtures.

Virtual fracture test of asphalt mixture based on discrete element method

In order to study fracture behaviors of asphalt mixtures, virtual tests of the two-dimensional（2D） microstructure based on the discrete element method（ DEM） are designed. The virtual structure of the 2D digital specimen of asphalt mixture is generated based on a particle generation program, in which the gradation and the irregular shapes of aggregates are considered. With the 2D digital specimens, a DEM-based mixture model is established and center-point beam fracture simulation tests are conducted by the DEM. Meanwhile, a series of calibration tests are carried out in laboratory to evaluate the DEM model and validate the methods of virtual fracture tests. The test results indicate that the fracture intensity of asphalt mixtures predicted by the DEM matches very well with the intensity obtained in laboratory. It is concluded that the microstructural virtual tests can be used as a supplemental tool to evaluate fracture properties of asphalt mixtures.

The Design and Implementation of Multi-user Data Sharing Platform for Remote Monitoring System Based on Virtual Instruments

Remote data monitoring system which adopts virtual instrument usually applies data sharing, acquisition and remote transmission technology via internet. It is able to finish concurrent data acquisition and processing for multi-user and multi-task and also build a personalized virtual testing environment for more people but with fewer instruments. In this paper, we＇ 11 elaborate on the design and implementation of information sharing platform through a typical example of how to build multi-user concurrent virtual testing environment based on the virtnal software LabVIEW.

Methodical Approach to Integrate Human Movement Diversity in Real-Time into a Virtual Test Field for Highly Automated Vehicle Systems

Recently, virtual realities and simulations play important roles in the development of automated driving functionalities. By an appropriate abstraction, they help to design, investigate and communicate real traffic scenario complexity. Especially, for edge cases investigations of interactions between vulnerable road users (VRU) and highly automated driving functions, valid virtual models are essential for the quality of results. The aim of this study is to measure, process and integrate real human movement behaviour into a virtual test environment for highly automated vehicle functionalities. The overall system consists of a georeferenced virtual city model and a vehicle dynamics model, including probabilistic sensor descriptions. By motion capture hardware, real humanoid behaviour is applied to a virtual human avatar in the test environment. Through retargeting methods, which enable the independency of avatar and person under test (PuT) dimensions, the virtual avatar diversity is increased. To verify the biomechanical behaviour of the virtual avatars, a qualitative study is performed, which funds on a representative movement sequence. The results confirm the functionality of the used methodology and enable PuT independence control of the virtual avatars in real-time.

Microstructure modeling and virtual test of asphalt mixture based on three-dimensional discrete element method

The objective of this work is to model the microstructure of asphalt mixture and build virtual test for asphalt mixture by using Particle Flow Code in three dimensions(PFC^(3D))based on three-dimensional discrete element method.A randomly generating algorithm was proposed to capture the three-dimensional irregular shape of coarse aggregate.And then,modeling algorithm and method for graded aggregates were built.Based on the combination of modeling of coarse aggregates,asphalt mastic and air voids,three-dimensional virtual sample of asphalt mixture was modeled by using PFC^(3D).Virtual tests for penetration test of aggregate and uniaxial creep test of asphalt mixture were built and conducted by using PFC^(3D).By comparison of the testing results between virtual tests and actual laboratory tests,the validity of the microstructure modeling and virtual test built in this study was verified.Additionally,compared with laboratory test,the virtual test is easier to conduct and has less variability.It is proved that microstructure modeling and virtual test based on three-dimensional discrete element method is a promising way to conduct research of asphalt mixture.

A virtual test of screening technology based on the AGEIA PhysX

The authors have created a virtual test of vibration particle-screening using Autodesk's 3ds Max software,the MAXScript scripting language and the AGEIA PhysX physics processing unit(PPU).The affect of various parameters on screening efficiency were modeled.The parameters included vibration amplitude,frequency and direction.The length and inclination of the vibrating surface were also varied.The virtual experiment is in basic agreement with results predicted from screening theory.This shows that the virtual screener can be used for preliminary investigations and the results used to evaluate screen design.In addition it can help with theoretical research.

Modeling of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation and Its Applicationin Virtual Test

With the development of virtual test,the computation of the effect of different weather conditions on electromagnetic wave propagation is required in many simulation systems. Firstly,this paper presents a unique point of view for computing the electromagnetic wave attenuation ratio under different weather conditions by means of an independent electromagnetic wave propagation component that can be directly implemented in virtual test, and is easy to configure and easy to reuse. We present an analysis of the principles of electromagnetic wave propagation and the algorithms designed for realization of various propagation models within the electromagnetic wave propagation component. Secondly,this paper presents a use-case analysis and outlines the design of the component,verifies the developed models under various weather conditions,and obtains equivalent values as those obtained theoretically. Finally,we build a virtual test system,verify the system in different weather conditions,and again obtain equivalent values to those obtained theoretically. The algorithms in the electromagnetic wave propagation component are developed in the C language, which substantially improves the computational speed,and meets the real-time requirements of the virtual testing platform.

Virtual Thermal Test System Based on Simulink and Comsol Co-Simulation

A virtual thermal test system was built through the co-simulation using Simulink and Comsol to realize the complete virtualization of the thermal test.Using the co-simulation technology,comprehensive simulation analysis of the control system,electric field and thermal field was realized.The data state of each observation point could be directly observed at one time,including the output state information of the power amplifier,the output state information of the heater,and the thermal state information of the test unit.The virtual thermal test system has a predictive and guiding role for engineering thermal tests,and can realize thermal environment simulation beyond the existing thermal environment ground simulation capabilities,providing a basis for the development of future models.

Virtual vibration test rig for fatigue analysis of dozer push arms

To obtain accurate fatigue life results for construction machinery components,acquiring load spectra is crucial,as their authenticity and validity directly determine the precision of the analysis.In working conditions,component attitudes change continuously,but they remain static on the vibration test rig(VTR),so the acquired target signals should match with the actual component attitudes in the driving signal generation.This paper proposes an efficient and economical simulation-based virtual VTR for fatigue analysis of dozers.First,the relationship between the push arm rotation angle and the cylinder stroke is established,since the cylinder strokes can be measured easily in data acquisition experiments.Second,load decomposition is used to determine the attitude relationship between virtual VTR conditions and actual conditions,and target signals are calculated based on this attitude relationship and measured data.According to the system's frequency response function,the driving signals are iterated until the system's response signals converge with the target signals.Finally,the iteratively obtained load spectra are utilized for fatigue life analysis.The results show that the virtual VTR can effectively and accurately obtain the results of fatigue analysis and has engineering application significance.

NUMERICAL MODELING OF MULTI-CYLINDER ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC SYSTEM AND CONTROLLER DESIGN FOR SHOCK TEST MACHINE

A high fidelity dynamic model of a high-energy hydraulically-actuated shock test machine for heavy weight devices is presented to satisfy the newly-built shock resistance standard and simulate the actual underwater explosion environments in laboratory as well as increase the testing capability of shock test machine. In order to produce the required negative shock pulse in the given time duration, four hydraulic actuators are utilized. The model is then used to formulate an advanced feedforward controller for the system to produce the required negative waveform and to address the motion synchronization of the four cylinders. The model provides a safe and easily controllable way to perform a ＂virtual testing＂ before starting potentially destructive tests on specimen and to predict performance of the system. Simulation results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the controller.

Virtual flight test of pitch and roll attitude control based on circulation control of tailless flying wing aircraft without rudders

Circulation Control(CC) realizes rudderless flight control by driving compressed air jet to generate a virtual rudder surface, which significantly improves low detectability. The layout plan of combined control rudder surface is proposed based on the tailless flying wing aircraft. The closed-loop jet actuator system and stepless rudder surface switching control strategy are used to quantitatively study the control characteristics of circulation actuator for pitch and roll attitude through 3-DOF virtual flight test in a wind tunnel with a powered model at wind speed of 40 m/s. The results show that the combined use of circulation actuators can achieve bidirectional continuous and stable control of the aircraft’s pitch and roll attitude, with the maximum pitch rate of 12.3(°)/s and the maximum roll rate of 21.5(°)/s;the response time of attitude angular rate varying with the jet pressure ratio is less than 0.02 s, which can satisfy the control response requirements of aircraft motion stability for the control system;the jet rudder surface has a strong moment control ability, and the pitch moment of the jet elevator with a pressure ratio of 1.28 is the same as that of the mechanical elevator with 28° rudder deflection, which can expand the flight control boundary.

Perception of Nonlinear Distortion in Music Signals Reproduced by Microspeakers

A lot of work has focused on compensating nonlinear distortions ofthe microspeaker under large excitation, yet it is unclear at which levelthe effect of nonlinear distortion is imperceptible or not annoying. Inthis study virtual listening tests were performed to evaluate thedeterioration of sound quality in music signals with different levels ofnonlinear distortion by a microspeaker. Binaural recordings of themusic played by the microspeaker were made at different voltagelevels, adjusted to the same RMS power, and afterwards reproducedby a low distortion reference headphone. The “double-blind triple-stimuluswith hidden reference” method was used in the listening tests. Listenerswere required to not only discern the distortion, but also rank theseverity of the distortion. The effects of several factors includingsubject, program material and distortion level on the perceiveddistortion are discussed.

Timetabling optimization of classrooms and self-study rooms in university teaching buildings based on the building controls virtual test bed platform considering energy efficiency

The energy consumption of a teaching building can be effectively reduced by timetable optimization.However,in most studies that explore methods to reduce building energy consumption by course timetable optimization,self-study activities are not considered.In this study,an MATLAB-EnergyPlus joint simulation model was constructed based on the Building Controls Virtual Test Bed platform to reduce building energy consumption by optimizing the course schedule and opening strategy of self-study rooms in a holistic way.The following results were obtained by taking a university in Xi’an as an example:(1)The energy saving percentages obtained by timetabling optimization during the heating season examination week,heating season non-examination week,cooling season examination week,and cooling season non-examination week are 35%,29.4%,13.4%,and 13.4%,respectively.(2)Regarding the temporal arrangement,most courses are scheduled in the morning during the cooling season and afternoon during the heating season.Regarding the spatial arrangement,most courses are arranged in the central section of the middle floors of the building.(3)During the heating season,the additional building energy consumption incurred by the opening of self-study rooms decreases when duty heating temperature increases.

Testability integrated evaluation method based on testability virtual test data

Testability virtual test is a new test method for testability verification, which has the advantages such as low cost, few restrictions and large sample of test data. It can be used to make up the deficiency of testability physical test. In order to take the advantage of testability virtual test data effectively and to improve the accuracy of testability evaluation, a testability integrated eval- uation method is proposed in this paper based on testability virtual test data. Considering the char- acteristic of testability virtual test data, the credibility analysis method for testability virtual test data is studied firstly. Then the integrated calculation method is proposed fusing the testability vir- tual and physical test data. Finally, certain helicopter heading and attitude system is presented to demonstrate the proposed method. The results show that the testability integrated evaluation method is feasible and effective.

Construction of virtual mulch film model based on discrete element method and simulation of its physical mechanical properties

In China,especially in Xinjiang Region,mulch film remaining in the soil has severely jeopardized the safety of soil resources.To numerically simulate the residual film-soil-recovery implementation system,a virtual mulch film model with consistent physical and mechanical properties with real mulch film needs to be established.In this study,a flexible deformable virtual mulch film model was constructed using YADE software based on the Minkowski Sum principle and the ball-ball force-displacement constitutive rule,as well as the contact failure rule were established.The deformation behaviors of cylinders and PFacet elements,such as stretching,bending,and torsion,were described.By splicing the basic PFacet elements,a virtual mulch model was established.The mechanical model of a virtual mulch film under tension was established and the axial tensile stiffness coefficient kn was determined to be 43.30 N·m.To verify the physical and mechanical properties of this virtual mulch film,both real and virtual stretching and tearing tests were conducted.The experimental results showed that:in the process of stretching and tearing of real and virtual films,the properties of morphological features of both are basically identical;however,they clearly differ in force-displacement.The viscoelastic constitutive model between balls and yield judgment conditions requires further study.

Virtual flight test techniques to predict a blended-wing-body aircraft in-flight departure characteristics

As one of the promising configurations of the next generation of commercial aircraft,research on departure characteristics of the Blended-Wing-Body(BWB)is of great signification to safe flight limits.A three-degree-of-freedom(3-DOF)virtual flight test in a wind tunnel has been implemented for a candidate configuration to predict the departure characteristics.The support mechanism,the test model and the control law of the virtual flight test are introduced.In order to show the relationship between virtual flight test and actual flight test,the similarity criterion is also given.In open loop,the model has mild oscillations in the longitudinal and lateral directions,which are stable in closed-loop.The effect of flight control has been verified in virtual flight and actual subscale flight test.The analysis of system identification results indicate that the model has a good response to the excitation signal,and the response is in reasonable agreement with the flight test.Finally,the virtual flight departure test results are compared with the flight test.It shows that there is a good correspondence between the angle of attack and the elevator deflection at departure.This gives promising evidence of the practicability of virtual flight testing to predict departure of a BWB.

A Fault Sample Simulation Approach for Virtual Testability Demonstration Test

Virtual testability demonstration test has many advantages,such as low cost,high efficiency,low risk and few restrictions.It brings new requirements to the fault sample generation.A fault sample simulation approach for virtual testability demonstration test based on stochastic process theory is proposed.First,the similarities and differences of fault sample generation between physical testability demonstration test and virtual testability demonstration test are discussed.Second,it is pointed out that the fault occurrence process subject to perfect repair is renewal process.Third,the interarrival time distribution function of the next fault event is given.Steps and flowcharts of fault sample generation are introduced.The number of faults and their occurrence time are obtained by statistical simulation.Finally,experiments are carried out on a stable tracking platform.Because a variety of types of life distributions and maintenance modes are considered and some assumptions are removed,the sample size and structure of fault sample simulation results are more similar to the actual results and more reasonable.The proposed method can effectively guide the fault injection in virtual testability demonstration test.

Multimodal critical-scenarios search method for test of autonomous vehicles

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to search for the critical-scenarios of autonomous vehicles(AVs)quickly and comprehensively,which is essential for verification and validation(V&V).Design/methodology/approach–The author adopted the index F1 to quantitative critical-scenarios’coverage of the search space and proposed the improved particle swarm optimization(IPSO)to enhance exploration ability for higher coverage.Compared with the particle swarm optimization(PSO),there were three improvements.In the initial phase,the Latin hypercube sampling method was introduced for a uniform distribution of particles.In the iteration phase,the neighborhood operator was adapted to explore more modals with the particles divided into groups.In the convergence phase,the convergence judgment and restart strategy were used to explore the search space by avoiding local convergence.Compared with the Monte Carlo method(MC)and PSO,experiments on the artificial function and critical-scenarios search were carried out to verify the efficiency and the application effect of the method.Findings–Results show that IPSO can search for multimodal critical-scenarios comprehensively,with a stricter threshold and fewer samples in the experiment on critical-scenario search,the coverage of IPSO is 14%higher than PSO and 40%higher than MC.Originality/value–The critical-scenarios’coverage of the search space is firstly quantified by the index F1,and the proposed method has higher search efficiency and coverage for the critical-scenarios search of AVs,which shows application potential for V&V.