Anti-Disturbance Control for Tethered Aircraft System With Deferred Output Constraints

In this paper,we investigate the peaking issue of extended state observers and the anti-disturbance control problem of tethered aircraft systems subject to the unstable flight of the main aircraft,airflow disturbances and deferred output constraints.Independent of exact initial values,a modified extended state observer is constructed from a shifting function such that not only the peaking issue inherently in the observer is circumvented completely but also the accurate estimation of the lumped disturbance is guaranteed.Meanwhile,to deal with deferred output constraints,an improved output constrained controller is employed by integrating the shifting function into the barrier Lyapunov function.Then,by combining the modified observer and the improved controller,an anti-disturbance control scheme is presented,which ensures that the outputs with any bounded initial conditions satisfy the constraints after a pre-specified finite time,and the tethered aircraft tracks the desired trajectory accurately.Finally,both a theoretical proof and simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

Architectural Building Detection and Tracking in Video Sequences Taken by Unmanned Aircraft System （UAS）

An Unmanned Aircraft System （UAS） is an aircraft or ground station that can be either remote controlled manually or is capable of flying autonomously under the guidance of pre-programmed Global Positioning System （GPS） waypoint flight plans or more complex onboard intelligent systems. The UAS aircrafts have recently found extensive applications in military reconnaissance and surveillance, homeland security, precision agriculture, fire monitoring and analysis, and other different kinds of aids needed in disasters. Through surveillance videos captured by a UAS digital imaging payload over the interest areas, the corresponding UAS missions can be conducted. In this paper, the authors present an effective method to detect and extract architectural buildings under rural environment from UAS video sequences. The SIFT points are chosen as image features. The planar homography is adopted as the motion model between different image frames. The proposed algorithm is tested on real UAS video data.

Path-tracking Control of a Tractor-aircraft System

An aircraft tractor plays a significant role as a kind of important marine transport and support equipment. It＇s necessary to study its controlling and manoeuvring stability to improve operation efficiency. A virtual prototyping model of the tractor-aircraft system based on Lagrange＇s equation of the first kind with Lagrange mutipliers was established in this paper, According to the towing characteristics, a path-tracking controller using fuzzy logic theory was designed. Direction control herein was carried out through a compensatory tracking approach. Interactive co-simulation was performed to validate the path-tracking behavior in closed-loop, Simulation results indicated that the tractor followed the reference courses precisely on a flat ground.

Review on uncertainty analysis and information fusion diagnosis of aircraft control system

In the aircraft control system,sensor networks are used to sample the attitude and environmental data.As a result of the external and internal factors(e.g.,environmental and task complexity,inaccurate sensing and complex structure),the aircraft control system contains several uncertainties,such as imprecision,incompleteness,redundancy and randomness.The information fusion technology is usually used to solve the uncertainty issue,thus improving the sampled data reliability,which can further effectively increase the performance of the fault diagnosis decision-making in the aircraft control system.In this work,we first analyze the uncertainties in the aircraft control system,and also compare different uncertainty quantitative methods.Since the information fusion can eliminate the effects of the uncertainties,it is widely used in the fault diagnosis.Thus,this paper summarizes the recent work in this aera.Furthermore,we analyze the application of information fusion methods in the fault diagnosis of the aircraft control system.Finally,this work identifies existing problems in the use of information fusion for diagnosis and outlines future trends.

Investigation of Nonlinear PI Multi-loop Control Strategy for Aircraft HVDC Generator System with Wound Rotor Synchronous Machine

In order to enhance the transient performance of aircraft high voltage DC(HVDC)generation system with wound rotor synchronous machine(WRSM)under a wide speed range,the nonlinear PI multi-loop control strategy is proposed in this paper.Traditional voltage control method is hard to achieve the dynamic performance requirements of the HVDC generation system under a wide speed range,so the nonlinear PI parameter adjustment,load current feedback and speed feedback are added to the voltage and excitation current double loop control.The transfer function of the HVDC generation system is derived,and the relationship between speed,load current and PI parameters is obtained.The PI parameters corresponding to the load at certain speed are used to shorten the adjusting time when the load suddenly changes.The dynamic responses in transient processes are analyzed by experiment.The results illustrate that the WRSM HVDC generator system with this method has better dynamic performance.

The Contribution of United States Aircraft Reconnaissance Data to the China Meteorological Administration Tropical Cyclone Intensity Data:An Evaluation of Homogeneity

This paper investigates the homogeneity of United States aircraft reconnaissance data and the impact of these data on the homogeneity of the tropical cyclone(TC)best track data for the seasons 1949-1987 generated by the China Meteorological Administration(CMA).The evaluation of the reconnaissance data shows that the minimum central sea level pressure(MCP)data are relatively homogeneous,whereas the maximum sustained wind(MSW)data show both overestimations and spurious abrupt changes.Statistical comparisons suggest that both the reconnaissance MCP and MSW were well incorporated into the CMA TC best track dataset.Although no spurious abrupt changes were evident in the reconnaissance-related best track MCP data,two spurious changepoints were identified in the remainder of the best-track MCP data.Furthermore,the influence of the reconnaissance MSWs seems to extend to the best track MSWs unrelated to reconnaissance,which might reflect the optimistic confidence in making higher estimates due to the overestimated extreme wind“observations”.In addition,the overestimation of either the reconnaissance MSWs or the best track MSWs was greater during the early decades compared to later decades,which reflects the important influence of reconnaissance data on the CMA TC best track dataset.The wind-pressure relationship(WPR)used in the CMA TC best track dataset is also evaluated and is found to overestimate the MSW,which may lead to inhomogeneity within the dataset between the aircraft reconnaissance era and the satellite era.

A Criterion Based on Closed-loop Pilot-aircraft Systems for Predicting Flying Qualities

During the process of aircraft design, the mathematical model of pilot control behavior characteristics is always used to predict aircraft flying qualities （FQ）. This is one of the important methods to avoid pilot-aircraft adverse coupling. In order to study the FQ criterion based on closed-loop pilot-aircraft systems, first, an experimental database is built, which includes 40 aircraft dynamics configurations and the corresponding flight simulation results. Second, the mathematical pilot models with a set of different aircraft configurations are obtained by this experimental database. Then, two FQ criteria, Neal-Smith criterion and Moscow Aviation Institute （MAI） criterion, are analyzed. And the relationship between the FQ level evaluated by actual pilot and the parameters of closed-loop pilot-aircraft systems is studied. Finally, an improved criterion of aircraft FQ is built based on the above two criteria. This new criterion is further used to predict FQ for four new aircraft dynamics configurations, and the prediction results verify its accuracy and practicability.

Asbestos Exposure during Gasket Removal from Aircraft Engine

We have previously evaluated asbestos exposure associated with various maintenance procedures on light aircraft. The purpose of this study was to evaluate asbestos exposure during engine maintenance on light aircraft. This test was designed to evaluate the potential for asbestos exposure to mechanics and others who remove asbestos-containing engine gaskets from reciprocating style aircraft engines. Utilized in this test was an air cooled, horizontally opposed, aviation gasoline burning engine, assembled during 1986 and operated intermittently up into 2015, having accumulated 1680 hours run time. Nearly 75% of the asbestos-containing gaskets installed during 1986 were still in place at the time of testing. Chrysotile asbestos contents of such gaskets ranged from 55% to 60% by area, for those of sheet style and 5% by area, for the spiral wound metal/asbestos style. Despite the levels of effort required to effect gasket removals, the professional aircraft mechanic was not exposed to airborne asbestos fibers at the lower limits of sampling and analytical detection achieved;all of which were substantially less than the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration Permissible Exposure Limits for asbestos. The results of this testing indicate an absence of gasket related asbestos exposure risk to mechanics who work with light aircraft engines, including those having asbestos-containing gaskets. These results are consistent with the findings of Mlyarek and Van Orden who studied the asbestos exposure risk occasioned during overhaul of larger radial style reciprocating aircraft engines [1].

Assessment of Meteorological Threats to the Coordinated Search and Rescue of Unmanned/Manned Aircraft

The architecture and working principle of coordinated search and rescue system of unmanned/manned aircraft,which is composed of manned/unmanned aircraft and manned aircraft,were first introduced,and they can cooperate with each other to complete a search and rescue task.Secondly,a threat assessment method based on meteorological data was proposed,and potential meteorological threats,such as storms and rainfall,can be predicted by collecting and analyzing meteorological data.Finally,an experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method in different scenarios.The experimental results show that the coordinated search and rescue system of unmanned/manned aircraft can be used to effectively assess meteorological threats and provide accurate search and rescue guidance.

Research on MBSE Application for Radio Navigation System

The rapid development of concepts and technologies for civil aircraft navigation systems has put forward higher requirements for agile iteration and integrated design verification in the research and development(R&D)process.Traditional document based system engineering(DBSE)methods have gradually become inadequate.Model based system engineering(MBSE)is fully based on user′s needs and is carried out from top to bottom,in line with the concept of forward design.It is gradually being applied in the development of civil aircraft systems.This article focuses on the civil aircraft radio navigation system and proposes a complete system engineering solution based on models,from system design and development to validation.Guided by the Arcadia methodology,with Capella modeling tool,Simulink simulation tool,and system validation tool,the complete R&D process from design and development to testing and validation was achieved through model construction,code generation,and testing validation.A radio navigation station selection optimization method based on machine learning was proposed,and results had good signal quality and persistence.The verification result of Beijing⁃Shanghai flight route shows MBSE method practiced in this article can ensure the feasibility of the entire process of radio navigation system development,as well as the rationality of tuning and positioning result.By automatically generating code to form a universal functional module,an optimization method that integrates different radio navigation station selection strategies is achieved,providing new ideas for the development and design of radio navigation systems.

Analysis and Research on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Quad Tilt Rotor Aircraft

For the quad tilt rotor aircraft, a computational fluid dynamics method based on multiple reference frames (MRF) was used to analyze the influence of aerodynamic layout parameters on the aerodynamic characteristics of the quad tilt rotor aircraft. Firstly, a numerical simulation method for the interference flow field of the quad tilt rotor aircraft is established. Based on this method, the aerodynamic characteristics of isolated rotors, rotor combinations at different lateral positions on the wing, and rotor rotation directions under different inflow velocities were calculated and analyzed, in order to grasp their aerodynamic interference laws and provide reference for the design and control theory research of such aircraft.

NOVEL AIRCRAFT ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM BASED ON DISTRIBUTED COMPUTER

As a matured technique used in many fields,the distributed computer system is still a new management method for the aeronautical electrical power distribution system in our country. In this paper, a novel aircraft electrical power distribution system based on the distributed computer system is proposed. The principles, features and structure of the aircraft electrical power distribution system and the distributed computer system named electrical load management system (ELMS) are studied. The ELMS composed of four electrical load management centers (ELMCs) and two power source processors (PSPs) operates in the 1553B buses. Principles of the ELMCs and the PSPs are introduced. With the application of the distributed computer system, the aircraft electrical power distribution system is simple, adaptable and flexible.

CNC SYSTEM OF FLEXIBLE FIXTURE IN AIRCRAFT COMPONENT MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY

The computer numerical control（CNC） system is suited to control varied types of flexible fixtures in aircraft component manufacturing and assembly. The mechanisms and control requirements of flexible fixtures are presented and analyzed. The hardware and software architecture and implementation of CNC system are pro- posed. The flexible fixture mechanism is described using configuration parameters. According to the parameters, the CNC system automatically generates the control feature and the human machine interface （HMI） operation function. The CNC system is implemented in a flexible fixture for skin-strlnger assembly, and results show the effectiveness of the system.

Performance analysis of aircraft low-power thermoelectric refrigeration system

An optimal design method for an aircraft low-power thermoelectric refrigeration system（TRS）is proposed using an existing experimental model as the research platform under given aircraft flight conditions.The variation curves of the cooling capacities and the refrigeration coefficients of the system running at three flight altitudes are investigated.The performance of the system is evaluated by the minimum-entropy-generation method and the performance penalty is also calculated.The power variation curves of the cooling system are obtained by an electric power experiment.The peak values of these curves are less than the maximal electric power supply of airborne equipment,proving that the use of the low-power TRS for airborne equipment is feasible.The COP,cooling capacity and entropy generation of the system are relative to the flight altitude and the current of the TRS.Through the analyses of these data,the optimal values of the COP are obtained,and the optimization measures are proposed to maximize the use of the advantages of the TRS.

Civil unmanned aircraft system operation in national airspace: A survey from Air Navigation Service Provider perspective

Unmanned Aircraft Systems(UASs) have advanced technologically and surged exponentially over recent years. Currently, due to safety concerns, most civil operations of UAS are conducted in low-level uncontrolled area or in segregated controlled airspace. As the industry progresses, both operational and technological capabilities have matured to the point where UASs are expected to gain greater freedom of access to both controlled and uncontrolled airspace. Extensive technical and regulatory surveys have been conducted to enable the expanded operations. However, most surveys are derived from the perspective of UAS own operating mechanism and barely consider interactions of their non-segregated activities with the Air Traffic Management(ATM) system. Hence, to fill the gap, this paper presents a survey conducted from the perspective of Air Navigation Service Provider(ANSP), which serves to accommodate these new entrants to the overall national airspace while continuing flight safety and efficiency. The primary objectives of this paper are to:(A) describe what typical ANSP-supplied UAS Traffic Management(UTM) architecture is required to facilitate all types of civil UAS operations;(B) identify three major ANSP considerations on how UAS can be accommodated safely in civil airspace;(C) outline future directions and challenges related with UAS operations for the ANSP.

Communication Scheduling with Diversity for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Using Local 5G

The use of unmanned aircraft systems(UAS)for critical public service missions by public organizations,local governments,and social users is expanding.Robust radio transmission by unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)is indispensable in these applications.One of the standards suitable for UAV wireless communications is local 5G.However,to introduce local 5G into a UAS,several problems specific to UASes must be solved.Challenges include the deterioration of the signal-to-noise ratio due to topography and obstacles,the uncertainty of the communication environment due to the movement of multiple UAVs,and the limitation of the frequency bandwidth.To address these problems and to introduce local 5G into the UAS,we propose a novel communication scheduling method.The method incorporates transmission modes with diversity.Our evaluations shows that total data volumes increase by 1.9~3 times with the proposed scheduling method compared with transmission without diversity or efficient scheduling.

Research on Aircraft Noise Evaluation System

The evaluation system of aircraft noise and environment noise should be integrated, because aircraft noise belongs to environment noise. At the same time, there should be some difference in the evaluation system of aircraft noise. For solving this contradiction, this article puts forward a new evaluation system of aircraft noise. This new system unifies the evaluation of aircraft noise and other environment noise effectively, and adds a new evaluation index single event noise exposure level. The system not only considers the characteristics of aircraft noise, which is different from other traffic noise, but also adds aircraft noise to other traffic noise, which can reflect sound environment around airport really. This system has practical worthiness and theory significance.

Performance evaluation of a multi-rotor unmanned agricultural aircraft system for chemical application

Unmanned agricultural aircraft system(UAAS)hasbeen widely employed as a low-cost and reliable method to apply agrochemicals to small agricultural fields in China.The performance of battery-poweredmultirotor UAAS has attracted considerable attention from manufacturers and researchers.The objective of this research was to design a UAAS equippingwith a data acquisition system,to characterize its chemical application performance based on droplet deposition data and optimize the operating parameters.Each test was repeated three times to assess the reliability of the spraying system.Various flight parameters were also evaluated.The optimal spray pressure for the XR8001 and XR8002(TeeJet,Wheaton,IL,USA)nozzles was found to be 300 kPa,and the latter nozzle had a higher droplet deposition rate and spray volume.Spray volume was not significantly affected by the flight speed or droplet density and was negatively correlated with the nozzle pressure.The results of this study provide a basis for improving the efficiency of UAAS chemicalapplication systems in terms of large-scale application.

Dynamic Simulation of the Aircraft Environmental Control System

The dynamic research of aircraft environmental control system (ECS) is an important step in the advanced ECS design process. Based on the thermodynamics theory, mathematical models for the dynamic performance simulating of aircraft ECS were set up and an ECS simulation toolbox (ECS_1.0) was created with MATLAB language. It consists of main component modules (ducts, valves, heat exchangers, compressor, turbine, etc.). An aircraft environmental control system computer model was developed to assist engineers with the design and development of ECS dynamic optimization. An example simulating an existing ECS was given which shows the satisfactory effects.

Stiffness of Postural Alignment System Based on 3-Axis Actuators for Large Aircraft Components

Aircraft digital flexible assembly fixture and technologies are widely used in developed countries, while the traditional jig-based assembly mode is still used in China. The application study of aircraft digital flexible assembly system is just beginning in our country recently. To meet the requirements of automated posture alignment and join in digital assembly system for large aircraft components, a novel fitting fixture called 3-axis actuator is developed. On the basis of the actuators, three kinds of posture alignment system for large aircraft components are proposed, including the non-redundant system, the redundant actuating system, and the redundant leg system, and their constitutions and properties are introduced. Through deriving the feeding transmission stiffness model of single actuator and analyzing the inverse kinematics of these systems, the relationship between the external force and the changes of position and orientation of large aircraft component is obtained, and then the postural alignment stiffness models are established. With the method mentioned above, the postural alignment stiffness of three systems is computed by using the algebraic formulate, and the results show that redundant properties can increase system＇s postural alignment stiffness. As an example, a optimized layout of the assembly system for a given model of aircraft is developed, the results of application show that the layout has many advantages, such as high accuracy, stiffness, stability, reliability, efficiency and flexible, which can satisfy the requirement of aircraft digital assembly system well. The proposed study of postural alignment stiffness for different systems can supply the theoretic support for the optimization layout design of aircraft digital assembly system, and contribute to evaluate the system working performance of systems.