A kinematics study for a spatial disorientation trainer for pilot training

Abstract

Spatial disorientation is one of the major threats to pilots of modern fighter aircraft. Over time various flight simulators were developed, in order to simulate real flight conditions as closely as possible. The device has the main objective to improve the spatial orientation of pilots, situational awareness and provide effective training to avoid a phenomenon known as spatial disorientation. In this paper, a kinematic analysis of the disorientator is presented. The Spatial Disorientator (SDT) is modeled as four-joint revolute robotic manipulator. The pilot’s head is the end effector, and is located at the intersection of the roll, pitch and yaw axes. The coordinate frames are set according to the Denavit- Hartenberg convention, homogeneous transformation matrices and equations for calculating the SDT kinematics are presented, as well as the Jacobi matrix. This study represents an introduction to the dynamic analysis of the disorientator.