Solving synchronization issues in scene simulation based on GPU-accelerated computing

GPU-accelerated computing has become a popular solution for real-time scene generation in hardware-in-the-loop simulations; however, the inability to readily synchronize scene rendering to an external input in modern graphics cards remains an issue. Previous implementations of scene generation systems utilizing these cards required custom hardware and driver modifications designed for specific generations of the graphics cards. Graphics card designs are updated on a frequent basis, often resulting in the obsolescence of the custom hardware solution. A design is presented that allows any modern PC-based graphics card to be externally synchronized for hardware-in-the-loop applications by exploiting the bandwidth of the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) bus and advances in customizable Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The FLITES Integrated Test Bed (FLINT) scene generation system is a flexible, inexpensive, and tunable system for creating infrared scenes in real time for scene injection. FLINT is made from commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) parts and is based upon government-owned-software (GOTS). The FLINT's hardware consists of a standard server class computer, an FPGA board, a high end consumer video card, reflective memory, and a Red Hat derived MRG Real-Time operating system.