Articulated Part Commands

Overview

Note

This section is just a reference for the various commands.

These commands specify the location and orientation of communications and sensor subsystems with respect to the platform on which they are contained. They also specify the degrees of freedom and limits through which the part can rotate in response to a pointing request (cue).

If a request is made to cue the device outside the slew limits, the resulting cue will be as close as possible without exceeding the limits.

Commands

location <x length-value> <y length-value> <z length-value> <length-unit>

Specify the location of the origin of the articulated part with respect to the origin of the entity coordinate system.

Default: 0 0 0 meters

yaw <angle-value>

Specifies the yaw angle of the articulated part with respect to the entity to which it is attached.

Default: 0.0 degrees

pitch <angle-value>

Specifies the pitch of the articulated part with respect to the entity to which it is attached.

Default: 0.0 degrees

Note

This command must not be used to specify the tilt angle for a system that rotates about its vertical axis (such as an early warning radar or a fixed elevation turret-mounted launcher). Use the antenna_tilt command or the beam_tilt commands in the beam_tilt and beam_tilt blocks for sensors and the tilt command below for launcher.

roll <angle-value>

Specifies the roll of the articulated part with respect to the entity to which it is attached.

Default: 0.0 degrees

tilt <angle-value>

Used to specify the fixed elevation angle of a launcher that can be cued in azimuth. See the note in the pitch command for the explanation.

slew_mode [ fixed | azimuth | elevation | both | azimuth_and_elevation]

The slewing mode (and the corresponding limits) defines the ability of a subsystem to respond to cue. If a system is not cued then it is oriented in the direction specified by yaw, pitch, and roll.

  • fixed - The system cannot be cued.

  • azimuth - The system can be cued only in azimuth. The angular limits are defined by azimuth_slew_limits.

  • elevation - The system can be cued only in elevation. The angular limits are defined by elevation_slew_limits.

  • both or azimuth_and_elevation - The system can be cued in both azimuth and elevation. The angular limits are defined by azimuth_slew_limits and elevation_slew_limits.

Default: fixed

azimuth_slew_limits <min-angle-value angle-value> <max-angle-value angle-value>

Specify the absolute minimum and maximum angle about which the subsystem can be slewed in azimuth for both cueing and scanning. The limits are specified in the part coordinate system (PCS).

If slew_mode is azimuth or both then these represent the azimuth limits for an explicit cue request (See Cueing above).

Default: -180 degrees to 180 degrees

elevation_slew_limits < min-angle-value angle-value> <max-angle-value angle-value>

Specify the minimum and maximum angle about which the subsystem can be slewed in elevation for both cueing and scanning. The limits are specified in the part coordinate system (PCS).

If slew_mode is elevation or both then these represent the elevation limits for an explicit cue (See Cueing above).

Default: -90 degrees to 90 degrees

azimuth_slew_rate <angle-rate-value>
elevation_slew_rate <angle-rate-value>

Specify the angular velocities to be employed when slewing the part to satisfy a cueing request. This is primarily used for modeling systems that track or point at a single target such as a mechanical tracker or a gun system. It is not used for scanning systems, and should not be used for multiple-target tracking systems.

The value must be greater than zero, and values greater than or equal to 1.0E+12 deg/sec will be treated as ‘infinite’.

Default: Infinite (instantaneous slewing)

slew_method [ independent | coordinated ]

If non-infinite slew rates ares employed, this command specifies how the intermediate steps of a slewing operation will occur. If independent is specified, the amount of movement in each direction within a time interval will be determined independently, meaning that one direction may hit its desired value before the other direction. If coordinated is specified then the rates will be adjusted so azimuth and elevation values will both reach the desired value at the same time.

Default: independent

masking_pattern <masking-pattern-name>

Specify the name of a masking pattern defined with the global masking_pattern command. Masking patterns are a mechanism for modeling obscuration by structural elements on the platform.

See the global masking_pattern command for more information.

Default: No masking pattern