Washout filter design for a motorcycle simulator

Many motion base simulators have been developed in the thirty years for many different types of vehicles. In order to make a simulation more realistic, linear acceleration and angular rates are exerted in the pilot by moving the platform on which the mock-up vehicle is located. This has to be accomplished without driving the simulator out of its workspace. The software component that is in charge of this is commonly referred to as washout filter. Washout filters have been widely investigated in the past, mainly in the field of flight simulators. In this article we present a washout filter designed for a motorcycle simulator. The solution is preliminary and follows, as a reference point, techniques previously adopted for large aircraft simulators. Differences between motorcycle and aircraft simulation are analyzed and a preliminary customized solution is proposed. The washout filter, which will be used to drive a motorcycle simulator, currently being built at PERCO, has been tested off-line showing good results and will soon be tested on real riders.