LVC for Autonomous Aircraft Systems Testing
Challenges - T&E of Autonomous A/C Regulatory Restrictions Desired test or demonstration context may not be available Flight Test Complexity More complex than manned or remotely-controlled tests Developing trust of the autonomous system before flight Lack of Human In The Loop Humans can normally detect flight anomalies Humans have situational awareness to avoid hazards Autonomous system testing make these tasks harder for backup remote pilot Iterative Design and Late-stage Innovation System development runs counter to traditional waterfall model Requires concurrent, isolated and integrated subsystem testing Adding innovation late necessitates system-level automated regression testing (e.g., retraining machine learning components)
Rationale - LVC-enabled Test Environments What LVC buys you. Merging simulation and live data Multiple missions, multi-ship data updates real-time simultaneously Adds virtual & constructive stimuli Mission Based Realism Test instrumentation for live and sim Integrates disparate systems (gnd & air) 3
Approach - LVC-Enabled Testbed Design Testing Environment Solution Iterative, compositional testing in a realistic environment to: Improve Safety Decrease risk, schedule, and cost Address Regulatory hurdles Best approach will blend lines between: Development, Integration, And Test environments Allow late-stage innovation and facilitate infrastructure updates SIMULATIONS Advanced simulationbased testing LVC NETWORKED TEST ASSETS SIMULATOR A/C as SIM Hardware systems inthe-loop Human-in-the-loop and Human-Factors High Bandwidth Datalink AIRCRAFT INFLIGHT Inexpensive surrogates for live flight tests FINAL TEST CONFIGURATION Such as QF-16s Utilize an LVC-Enabled Testbed to develop, mature, and field complex solutions
Expectations - Phased Development Env Maturation of an LVC-enabled Test Environment Actual Aircraft Hardware-based Development Hardware-Based Surrogate Simulation-based Experimental Environment Initial Development Targets System Emulation Standards-based Environment Simulation-based Development Hardware-Based Simulator HW Emulation Surrogate Hardware Component Stimulator HITL Simulator Ultimate Demonstration Targets LVC Stds-based Development LVC Simulation LVC Environment Concept Development Component Development/Tests Component Integration Integrated Subsystem Tests Operational Test & Evaluation
Spectrum of LVC-Enabled Tests Copyright 2016 Rockwell Collins, Inc. All rights reserved.
Flexibility - Transitioning to Live Flight LVC blurs between Live and Non-live High fidelity simulation environment Full hardware in the loop sim before flight Flight tests with unmodified software Currently used for formation test flights
Industry-Academia Partnership Rockwell Collins - University of Iowa OPL Partnership History of Test Range integration Existing LVC-enabled test assets Customizable LVC T&E environment: Mission-based Realism Phased Development Environment Secure, Scalable, & Standards based instrumentation LVC-Enabled Flight Testing Today
Network-enabled LVC Test Capability Rockwell Collins LVC network Industry standard protocols End-to-End MILS data assurance Complex, real-time demonstrations Simulation of sensitive capabilities (Echo Ridge) Built-in Extensions to support more complex environments Rapid exchange and testing of adaptive control techniques Handoff/control protocol testing on actual networks without risking vehicles Failure testing for datalinks and comm channels Easier than HWITL or EW Stimulation on the range (E.g., A2AD environments) Networked Test Env + LVC is powerful and extensible Copyright 2016 Rockwell Collins, Inc. 9 All rights reserved.
Copyright 2016 Rockwell Collins, Inc. All rights reserved. LVC-Testing Surrogate Enhanced Safety using a manned surrogate HWITL testing of a surrogate, prior to fully autonomous flights Allows for earlier integration into full system context and faster to flight
Here s the result...development thru Test Copyright 2016 Rockwell Collins, Inc. All rights reserved.
LVC-Enabled Test - The Takeaways LVC-enabled environments generate trust in autonomous systems Proven to be realistic test environment Can test variety of failure modes, fault conditions, & corner cases Can obtain reasonably good flight data without having to actually perform a flight Identify issues earlier before costly, difficult flight test LVC doesn t bypass regulation - works more efficiently within the constraints. Manned surrogate facilitates transition to flight tests Allows safety pilot supervisory control Permits earlier integration into testing platform Allows fast recovery if issues occur during flight