Enhancements to Software Tools and Progress in Model-Based Design of EOA on the INVENT Program 2014-01-2118

The diverse and complex requirements of next-generation energy optimized aircraft (EOA) demand detailed transient and dynamic model-based design (MBD) to ensure the proper operation of numerous interconnected and interacting subsystems across multiple disciplines. In support of the U.S. Air Force's Integrated Vehicle Energy Technology (INVENT) program, several MBD-derived software tools, including models of EOA technologies, have been developed. To validate these models and demonstrate the performance of EOA technologies, a series of Integrated Ground Demonstration (IGD) hardware tests are planned. Several of the numerous EOA software tools and MBD-based processes have been updated and adapted to support this activity. In this paper, the following key enhancements to the INVENT software tools and the MBD process are discussed: distributed version control; batch launch capability for co-simulation software; automated test script (ATS) library upgrades; and data visualization tool enhancements. For each, details are given about the motivation behind, and the implementation of, the enhancement. The described improvements reduce the potential for MBD errors and design cycle time and allow for a greater number of IGD experiments to be simulated prior to being conducted in hardware.