Peripheral processors for high - speed simulation

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Abstract
This paper describes some of the results of a study directed to the specification and procurement of a new cockpit simulator for an advanced class of heli copters. A part of the study was the definition of a challenging benchmark problem, and detailed analy ses of it were made to assess the suitability of a variety of simulation techniques. The analyses showed that a particularly cost-effective approach to the attainment of adequate speed for this extremely de manding application is to employ a large minicomputer acting as host and controller for a special-purpose digital peripheral processor. Various realizations of such peripheral processors, all employing state- of-the-art electronic circuitry and a high degree of parallelism and pipezining., are available or under development. The types of peripheral processors- array processors, simulation-oriented processors, and arrays of processing elements - are analyzed and com pared. They are particularly promising approaches which should be suitable for high-speed simulations of all kinds, the cockpit simulator being a case in point.