White Paper Review: Autonomous Air Vehicle Testing

Engineer working with an airplane-Freepik.com

I have been reading a white paper concerning testing of air vehicles. The white paper is named, “Empowering Autonomous Air Vehicle Testing: A Collaborative Solution by DMC & Pickering Interfaces” written by experts at Pickering Interfaces. Within the review, I will discuss what I see as a problem statement. Then go over the proposed work as well as the previous work. I will then dwell on the risks and challenges and talk about the innovation behind the work proposed.

Problem Statement

Due to safety concerns that arise when testing certain scenarios, such as fault-related conditions and over/under temperature/charge during the operation of a vehicle or assembly of a battery pack, conventional methods of testing fall short of requirements.

Strict testing procedures that mimic the operation of the AAV’s battery pack are necessary. There is the necessity of thoroughly testing and validating flight electronics and Battery Management System under various conditions of operation. As a result, a solution to reduce these problems must be developed.

Proposed Work

This white paper proposes:

• Custom hardware by DMC and HIL system-Commercial Off The Shelf.
• Using an extended, modular program where the NI Veristand software is merged and customized to the needs of the client.
• LXI chassis with a variable resistor and PXI battery cell simulator cards installed: DMC combined the chassis and cards with modules of the battery fault injection. This would enable the client to put cells within groups in one of these states—open circuit, reversed, no fault, or short-circuited.
• VeriStand being chosen by DMC and NI LabView-based Battery Cell Model being designed.
• Simulation loops and high-speed I/O being handled by the module called the VeriStand controm, which operates on an inserted real-time controller (NI cRIO) equipped with digital output and c-series analog modules.
• Power supplies from Keysight’s RP7900 Series that are used by the customer to intensify the drone’s motors and electronics.
• The system simulates the operation of the battery pack during a drone flight, enabling the client to assess the reaction of the power electronic and BMS system.

Prior Work

In the complicated world of autonomous air vehicles, active testing is necessary to guarantee dependability and safety. To replicate the operation of the AAV’s battery pack, stringent testing procedures are needed.

Risks and Challenges of This Proposed Work

There are certain pitfalls to the simulation of batteries. The model used for the battery pack’s simulation may not be entirely meticulous. This could lead to inaccurate results and may require additional testing, such as physical batteries that validate the simulation results. Another drawback is that the simulation of the battery pack may not account for the overall effects of battery aging. Batteries deteriorate over time and may perform differently, for which the simulation model may not adequately account.

With battery emulation, the emulator cannot replicate many of the physical features that are present within a battery pack. The result would be differences between how the device behaves when being tested versus how the actual battery conducts itself. Battery emulators may also be costly and require specialized hardware. This might restrict their use in specific implementations or situations where cost is a significant factor.

Because resistors that fluctuate, are more susceptible to mechanical stress and environmental influences, they are more likely to experience inaccuracies, noise, and harm than resistors that are fixed. They can provide fewer resistance value options than potentiometers, which may restrict their adaptability in some situations.

Innovation of This Proposed Work

DMC Inc. and Pickering Interfaces, leaders in the test and measurement sector, are dedicated to fostering innovation and providing state-of-the-art solutions that meet the changing demands of the aerospace industry. The team of engineers had a direct cooperation, which shows the value of teamwork in motion control, software, hardware, simulation, and modular signal switching. Clients now have a customized HIL test stand that enables them to easily substantiate and check the secure performance of autonomous air delivery vehicles. This is in part to the combination of open-platform products and the experience of DMC creating Battery Management System solutions where testing is involved. The benefits of all of this include Architecture in modules, simulations that are lifelike, accurate management, increased effectiveness of testing, enhanced precision, savings on time, and savings on expenses.