ACE Motion Cueing Editor

1 Introduction

Telemetry data - comprising vehicle physics (acceleration and rotational forces), and additional relevant parameters generated by the game or simulator are received by ForceSeatMI, which interprets the data and forwards it to the Acceleration Control Engine (ACE).

ACE operates in the background as the "back-end" for platform managers software (ForceSeatPM) and is responsible not only for filtering (smoothing) all incoming simulator data, but also for performing the necessary calculations to control the actuators, thereby producing the motion of the platform's top frame and creating precise motion cues.

ACE also performs signal interpolation, filling in gaps in the incoming data to ensure smooth and continuous platform motion. That means that the game's frame-based output (e.g.60 FPS) is converted into a stable signal (e.g. 250 Hz), ensuring smooth platform movement without abrupt interruptions or discontinuities.

In essence, telemetry data from the simulation is processed by ACE and delivered to motion platforms and accessory devices as motor position calculations.

2 Technical details

ACE is an implementation of motion-cueing algorithm known as classical washout. The description of the classical washout algorithm is beyond the scope of this document. If you want to learn more, please check list of recommended articles.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_simulator:
"The classical washout filter is simply a combination of high-pass and low-pass filters; thus, the implementation of the filter is compatibly easy. However, the parameters of these filters have to be empirically determined. The inputs to the classical washout filter are vehicle-specific forces and angular rates. Both of the inputs are expressed in the vehicle-body-fixed frame. Since low-frequency force is dominant in driving the motion base, force is high-pass filtered, and yields the simulator translations. Much the same operation is done for angular rate."

ACE Editor is a tool that allows for adjustment of all parameters and monitoring telemetry data being processed at each state.

3 Documentation

Please refer to this document for detailed description of ACE and ACE Editor.

4 Wheel Effects Consistency

In order to keep the wheels effects related calculations consistent, following rules should be met during driving forward and turning right (long, right curve):

1. Wheels Effects Diagnostic: Front Wheel Angle is positive
2. Wheels Effects Diagnostic: Velocity/Forward is positive
3. Wheels Effects Diagnostic: Velocity/Lateral is positive
4. Wheels Effects Diagnostic: Yaw Rate is negative
5. Wheels Effects Diagnostic: Slip Angle FL/RL is positive
6. Wheels Effects Diagnostic: Sideslip is positive