Latency on a Stewart platform using washout filter

The aim of this work is to investigate and quantify the latency on a Stewart Platform caused exclusively by a Classic washout filter. This washout filter is intended to recreate the sensations of motion caused by changes of translational and rotational acceleration that an aircraft can provide, due to changes in attitudes caused by external factors, and those caused by the pilot’s command. The input signal was generated by a FlightGear Simulator in order to obtain the specific forces and angular velocities of a Boeing 747 during a take-off procedure. These signals are then filtered by a washout filter and sent to the inverse kinematics of the movable platform, which will transform the aircraft motion sensations in platforms actuator position, thereby causing a certain signal delay. Experiments were performed in a Stewart Platform to obtain the latency caused by the mathematical modelling of the entire washout filter system. This latency are then compared to the latency caused by the control and dynamics of the platform’s actuators. Results indicate that the washout filter is the most responsible for the latency of the specific force signals to be reproduced by the platform in this experiment, and that the natural frequency and damping coefficient values must be properly estimated in order to optimise the total latency.