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RV_Orientation 2013-05-04

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*** Author's note *** Guys - almost 90 of you downloaded the first alpha, but I got no votes on Orbit Hanger, and almost no comments on the Orbiter Foum. I am really looking for your feedback this time. Did it work? What's missing? Can you find scenarios where t doesn't do what you expected? PLEASE - leave some feedback.
 

*** U P D A T E ***
Second alpha version of Rendezvous Orientation now released for testing.
*Changes*
First relase auto-pilot, with Auto Pilot Rotation mode (APR), Auto Pilot Translation mode (APT) and Auto Pilot Approach mode (APA) all active. You can use the APR mode to orient to the RVEL and the Waypoint, and the APT and APA modes to approach the Waypoint too.

To do... Unit Conversion, Documentation, Auto-Poilot Master (APM) to chain the whole approach to dock together,including escaping from behind the vessel. Planning on WP2 to be +300, +300, -300 (i.e. go to the corner of a safety box round the target if we are behind the target), then WP1 to be +300, +300, +300 (translating down an edge of the box), then to WP (dead in line with the port, +0, +0, +300), then dock. The autopilot needs a bit more tuning - expecially on last 20 cm (trnds to dock at 10cm/s right now).
Final tidy-ups then full release.
*** REQUIRES *** HUD Drawer SDK v0.3 from Enjo to be pre-installed (download from Orbit Hangar).
RV Orientation
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MFD to perform exteremely accurate maneuvers to a target docking port, with built-in Heads-Up Display. Three modes (MOD):
1. RVEL mode ... gives you orientation data to orient to the negative relative velocity (e.g. to null out the relative motion).
2. WP mode. This gives you an offset to a waypoint a configurable distance in front of the target docking port (e.g. 500 meters). The orientation will point your docking port right at the waypoint. The position will give you the translation needed to get to the waypoint.
3. DOCK mode. Orientation controls your orientation in 3 dimensions. Position controls your translation to the target dock.
Auto-Pilot modes:
1. APR on, APT off, APA off.. Controls orientation in Pitch, Roll, Yaw. E.g. leave this on and work the translation and approach manually. Can also orient to the RVEL and the WP as you prefer.
2. APR off. APT on, APA off. Controls translation in X (right/left) and Y (up/down). You drive the rotation and the approach. Cannot be used in RVEL mode (no target to translate to!).
3. APR on, APT on, APA on. Controls all 6 degrees of freedom for a full maneuver to the WP in WP mode, or right in to dock on DOCK mode.
4. APD auto-pilot dump mode ... for debugging purposes. Generates a DVO_AP_Dump.csv in the Orbiter directory, with a ton of data on the approach. Let me know if you want it explained.
Please give it a try on a variety of ships and let me know how you get on.
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