Research on Teaching Methods of Flight Control Principles

With the rapid development of China’s civil aviation industry,the teaching method of operating knowledge of flight principles has changed greatly,which creates a good implementation environment to improve the safety of civil aviation in our country.At present,the main training content of air route transport pilots in China is basic aviation theory,initial flight training,airline modification,etc.The principles of flight control are an important part of basic aviation theoretical knowledge training,which will involve a large number of flight technology training content,instructors will also be based on the pilot type.Teaching flight control theory and practical knowledge requires relatively high theoretical learning ability of students,and the learning effect of this part of theoretical knowledge will directly affect the quality of subsequent learning,but also directly affect the effectiveness of flight training.This paper focuses on the analysis of the basic concepts of flight control,studies the existing problems in the teaching of flight control principles,summarizes the teaching measures of flight control principles,aiming to provide a reference to teaching personnel.

Adaptive Sliding Control of Six-DOF Flight Simulator Motion Platform

There is proposed an adaptive sliding controller in task space on the base of the linear Newton-Euler dynamic equation of motion platform in a six-DOF flight simulator. The uncertain parameters are divided into two groups： the constant and the time-varying. The controller identifies constant uncertain parameters using nonlinear adaptive controller associated with elimination of the influences of time-varying uncertain parameters and compensation of the external disturbance using sliding control. The results of numerical simulation attest to the capability of this control scheme not only to, with deadly accuracy, identify parameters of motion platform such as load, inertia moments and mass center, but also effectively improve the robustness of the system.

Sliding Mode Controller Design for Position and Speed Control of Flight Simulator Servo System with Large Friction

Flight simulator is an important device and a typical high-performance position and speed servo system used in the hardware-in-the-loop simulation of flight control system. Friction is the main nonlinear resistance in the flight simulator servo system, especially in a low-speed state. Based on the description of dynamic and static models of a nonlinear Stribeck friction model, this paper puts forward sliding mode controller to overcome the friction, whose stability is

Dynamic flight stability of hovering model insects:theory versus simulation using equations of motion coupled with Navier-Stokes equations

In the present paper, the longitudinal dynamic flight stability properties of two model insects are predicted by an approximate theory and computed by numerical sim- ulation. The theory is based on the averaged model （which assumes that the frequency of wingbeat is sufficiently higher than that of the body motion, so that the flapping wings＇ degrees of freedom relative to the body can be dropped and the wings can be replaced by wingbeat-cycle-average forces and moments）; the simulation solves the complete equations of motion coupled with the Navier-Stokes equations. Comparison between the theory and the simulation provides a test to the validity of the assumptions in the theory. One of the insects is a model dronefly which has relatively high wingbeat frequency （164 Hz） and the other is a model hawkmoth which has relatively low wingbeat frequency （26 Hz）. The results show that the averaged model is valid for the hawkmoth as well as for the dronefly. Since the wingbeat frequency of the hawkmoth is relatively low （the characteristic times of the natural modes of motion of the body divided by wingbeat period are relatively large） compared with many other insects, that the theory based on the averaged model is valid for the hawkmoth means that it could be valid for many insects.

Practical Survey on Design and Testing of Flight Control Laws for Helicopter Engineering Simulators

A practical survey on engineering implementation of flight control laws on helicopter engineering simulators is proposed.Advances of helicopter engineering simulators are introduced.Practical flight control technologies are reviewed,with an emphasis on discussing the corresponding engineering simulation programs.Finally,the difficulties of implementing advanced control technologies are addressed,and the future development of helicopter engineering simulators are highlighted.

Design of an Integrated SITL and HITL Simulation System for the Control of a Loitering Aerial Vehicle

An investigation into the aircraft flight simulation and control system is presented in this paper. The study was firstly focused on the establishment of an integrated hardware-in-the-loop（HITL） platform for aircraft flight simulation based on MATLAB/Simulink ＋ dSPACE. The platform combines the abundant software and hardware resources of dSPACE simulation platform to simulate the flight attitude of an aircraft in six-DOF （ degree of freedom） motion. Based on the platform, the study was then focused on the flight numerical simulation by taking a loitering aerial vehicle as an example. An aircraft mathematical model was created for a modular design and off-line numerical simulation based on MATLAB/Simulink. Finally, the study was focused on the control system design of the loitering aerial vehicle and conduct of an HITL simulation experiment for the vehicle pitch control. The experiment verifies the system design and control effectiveness. Research results show that the dSPACE simulation system provides a real time good experimental platform to improve the efficiency of study and development of a flight control system.

Flying qualities based time-varying stability augmentation system design for tiltrotor conversion control

Tiltrotors have three flight modes that pose control problems and quality defects during the conversion process.To address this,a novel flying qualities-based time-varying stability augmentation system is designed to achieve multi-mode,nonlinear,and time-varying stability.The system integrates a nonlinear time-varying control law with the flying qualities requirements for all three flight modes.It consists of an inner and outer loop control framework,where the control law in the inner loop is designed based on the Lyapunov theorem of stability.The reference models in the outer loop are derived from the flying qualities criteria to meet level one flying qualities requirements.To evaluate the conversion process,a time-varying flying qualities evaluation method is developed,which includes the conversion path,pilot model,and time-varying flying qualities index.The proposed time-varying stability augmentation control system is then tested through simulation during the conversion process.A pilot-aircraft closed-loop system is established for conducting experiments.Comparison between simulation results and pilot-in-loop experiment results demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed control system.Furthermore,it proves that the evaluation method is suitable for analyzing time-varying systems.This research can be valuable in designing and evaluating stability augmentation controls for strongly time-varying systems.

FUZZY GLOBAL SLIDING MODE CONTROL BASED ON GENETIC ALGORITHM AND ITS APPLICATION FOR FLIGHT SIMULATOR SERVO SYSTEM

To alleviate the chattering problem, a new type of fuzzy global sliding mode controller （FGSMC） is presented. In this controller, the switching gain is estimated by fuzzy logic system based on the reachable conditions of sliding mode controller（SMC）, and genetic algorithm （GA） is used to optimize scaling factor of the switching gain, thus the switch chattering of SMC can be alleviated. Moreover, global sliding mode is realized by designing an exponential dynamic sliding surface. Simulation and real-time application for flight simulator servo system with Lugre friction are given to indicate that the proposed controller can guarantee high robust performance all the time and can alleviate chattering phenomenon effectively.

Study on Intelligent Control and 3D Real-time Distributed Animation Simulation for Super-maneuver Attack of the New Generation Fighter

The super-maneuver flight performance has a very high tactical value, and the development of this tactical value has great significance. A discussion is devoted to the study of intelligent control methods and technologies of real-time distributed 3-dimensional animation simulation for the super-maneuverable attack of new generational fighter in this paper. A flight control system of super-maneuver is reconstructed by adopting three layers BP neural networks of number 3, and the fire/flight coupler is designed by introducing a fuzzy control rule whose universe of discourse and gain are regulated adaptively on the line. Furthermore, a new method of real-time distributed 3-dimensional animation simulation is put forward, and a real-time distributed 3-dimensional animation simulation tool platform is constructed in this paper. The simulation result is lifelike, perceivable directly and useful.

Stabilization control of a hovering model insect:lateral motion

Our previous study shows that the lateral disturbance motion of a model drone fly does not have inherent stability （passive stability）,because of the existence of an unstable divergence mode.But drone flies are observed to fly stably.Constantly active control must be applied to stabilize the flight.In this study,we investigate the lateral stabilization control of the model drone fly.The method of computational fluid dynamics is used to compute the lateral control derivatives and the techniques of eigenvalue and eigenvector analysis and modal decomposition are used for solving the equations of motion.Controllability analysis shows that although inherently unstable,the lateral disturbance motion is controllable.By feeding back the state variables （i.e.lateral translation velocity,yaw rate,roll rate and roll angle,which can be measured by the sensory system of the insect） to produce anti-symmetrical changes in stroke amplitude and/or in angle of attack between the left and right wings,the motion can be stabilized,explaining why the drone flies can fly stably even if the flight is passively unstable.

Stabilization control of a bumblebee in hovering and forward flight

Our previous study shows that the hovering and forward flight of a bumblebee do not have inherent stability （passive stability）. But the bumblebees are observed to fly stably. Stabilization control must have been applied. In this study, we investigate the longitudinal stabilization control of the bumblebee. The method of computational fluid dynamics is used to compute the control derivatives and the techniques of eigenvalue and eigenvector analysis and modal decomposition are used for solving the equations of motion. Controllability analysis shows that at all flight speeds considered, although inherently unstable, the flight is controllable. By feedbacking the state variables, i.e. vertical and horizontal velocities, pitching rate and pitch angle （which can be measured by the sensory system of the insect）, to produce changes in stroke angle and angle of attack of the wings, the flight can be stabilized, explaining why the bumblebees can fly stably even if they are passively unstable.

Lateral dynamic flight stability of hovering insects: theory vs. numerical simulation

In the present paper, the lateral dynamic flight stability properties of two hovering model insects are predicted by an approximate theory based on the averaged model, and computed by numerical simulation that solves the complete equations of motion coupled with the Naviertokes equations. Comparison between the theoretical and simulational results provides a test to the validity of the assumptions made in the theory. One of the insects is a model dronefly which has relatively high wingbeat frequency （164Hz） and the other is a model hawkmoth which has relatively low wingbeat frequency （26 Hz）. The following conclusion has been drawn. The theory based on the averaged model works well for the lateral motion of the dronefly. For the hawkmoth, relatively large quantitative differences exist between theory and simulation. This is because the lateral non-dimensional eigenvalues of the hawkmoth are not very small compared with the non-dimensional flapping frequency （the largest lateral non-dimensional eigenvalue is only about 10% smaller than the non-dimensional flapping frequency）. Nevertheless, the theory can still correctly predict variational trends of the dynamic properties of the hawkmoth＇s lateral motion.

Zero phase error control based on neural compensation for flight simulator servo system

Using the future desired input value, zero phase error controller enables the overall system＇s frequency response exhibit zero phase shift for all frequencies and a small gain error at low frequency range, and based on this, a new algorithm is presented to design the feedforward controller. However, zero phase error controller is only suitable for certain linear system. To reduce the tracking error and improve robustness, the design of the proposed feedforward controller uses a neural compensation based on diagonal recurrent neural network. Simulation and real-time control results for flight simulator servo system show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

THE EIGENVALUE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS AND DESIGN FOR INTEGRATED FLIGHT/PROPULSION CONTROL SYSTEM

In this paper, sensitivity approaches are taken to analyze and design an integrated flight propulsion control system where the interaction between subsystems direitly affects the stability property and handling performances of the aircraft. The eigenvalue sen sitivity approach is employed to study the effect of coupling parameters on system stability and gain sensitivity approach is used to direct the reduced states feedback suboptimal control system design. Simulation results show that the integrated flight propulsion control system designed by sensitivity approaches is of good performance.

Motion simulation and experiment of a novel modular self-reconfigurable robot

Based on the character of the modular self-reconfigurable （MSR） robot, a novel homogeneous and lattice MSR robot, M-Cubes, was designed. Each module unit of the robot has 12 freedoms and is composed of six rotary joints and one cubic link. An attached/detached mechanism was designed on the rotary joints. A novel space transmitting system was placed on the inner portion of the cubic link. A motor separately transmitted torque to the six joints which were distributed equally on six surfaces of the cubic link. The example of a basic motion for the module was demonstrated. The result shows that the robot is concise and compact in structure, highly efficient in transmission, credible in connecting, and simple in controlling. At the same time, a simulator is developed to graphically design the system configuration, the reconfiguration process and the motion of cluster modules. The character of local action for the cellular automata （CA） is utilized. Each module is simplified as a cell. The transition rules of the CA are developed to combine with the genetic algorithm （GA） and applied to each module to accomplish distributed control. Simulation proves that the method is effective and feasible.

AERODYNAMIC FORCE AND FLOW STRUCTURES OF TWO AIRFOILS IN FLAPPING MOTIONS

Aerodynamic force and flow structures of two airfoils in a tandem configuration in flapping motions axe studied, by solving the Navier-Stokes equations in moving overset grids. Three typical phase differences between the fore- and aft-airfoil flapping cycles are considered. It is shown that: (1) in the case of no interaction (single airfoil), the time average of the vertical force coefficient over the downstroke is 2.74, which is about 3 times as large as the maximum steady-state lift coefficient of a dragonfly wing; the time average of the horizontal force coefficient is 1.97, which is also large. The reasons for the large force coefficients are the acceleration at the beginning of a stroke, the delayed stall and the 'pitching-up' motion near the end of the stroke. (2) In the cases of two-airfoils, the time-variations of the force and moment coefficients on each airfoil are broadly similar to that of the single airfoil in that the vertical force is mainly produced in downstroke and the horizontal force in upstroke, but very large differences exist due to the interaction. (3) For in-phase stroking, the major differences caused by the interaction are that the vertical force on FA in downstroke is increased and the horizontal force on FA in upstroke decreased. As a result, the magnitude of the resultant force is almost unchanged but it inclines less forward. (4) For counter stroking, the major differences are that the vertical force on AA in downstroke and the horizontal force on FA in upstroke are decreased. As a result, the magnitude of the resultant force is decreased by about 20 percent but its direction is almost unchanged. (5) For 90 degrees -phase-difference stroking, the major differences axe that the vertical force on AA in downstroke and the horizontal force on FA in upstroke axe decreased greatly and the horizontal force on AA in upstroke increased. As a result, the magnitude of the resultant force is decreased by about 28% and it inclines more forward. (6) Among the three cases of phase angles, inphase flapping produces the largest vertical force (also the largest resultant force); the 90 degrees -phase-difference flapping results in the largest horizontal force, but the smallest resultant force.

Modeling and simulation of a mini AUV in spatial motion

Accurate modeling and simulation of autonomous underwater vehicle （AUV） is essential for autonomous control and maneuverability research. In this paper, a mini AUV- ＂MAUV-Ⅱ＂ was researched and the nonlinear mathematic model of the AUV in spatial motion was derived based on momentum theorem. The forces acting on AUV were resolved to several modules which were expressed in matrix form. Based on the motion model and combined with virtual reality technology, a motion simulation system was constructed. Considering the characteristic of ＂MAUV-Ⅱ ＂, the heading control and depth control were simulated by adopting S-surface control method. A long distance traveling simulation experiment based on target planning was also done. The simulation results show that the ＂MAUV-Ⅱ＂ has good spatial maneuverability, and verify the feasibility and reliability of control software.

Dynamic flight stability of a bumblebee in forward flight

The longitudinal dynamic flight stability of a bumblebee in forward flight is studied. The method of computational fluid dynamics is used to compute the aerodynamic derivatives and the techniques of eigenvalue and eigenvector analysis are employed for solving the equations of motion. The primary findings are as the following. The forward flight of the bumblebee is not dynamically stable due to the existence of one （or two） unstable or approximately neutrally stable natural modes of motion. At hovering to medium flight speed [flight speed Ue = （0-3.5）m s^-1; advance ratio J = 0-0.44], the flight is weakly unstable or approximately neutrally stable; at high speed （Ue = 4.5 m s^-1; J = 0.57）, the flight becomes strongly unstable （initial disturbance double its value in only 3.5 wingbeats）.

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE PRESSURE AND VACUUM CONTINUOUS CONTROL SYSTEM BASED ON HYBRID PUMP

A novel pressure and vacuum continuous control system, which adopts a hybrid pump as pressure and vacuum source, is presented. The mathematical model of the system is developed. The theoretical simulation and analysis on the system are implemented in order to study the relationships among the characteristics, parameters and working points of the system. The experimental investigations on the system characteristics are presented with the adoption ofa fuzzy-PID controller. The simulation and experimental results indicate that the pressure and vacuum continuous control system based on hybrid pump has good dynamic and static performance, strong robustness and satisfactory adaptability to various system parameters. According to the results, system can successfully gain high accuracy and fast response signal. Also, the mathematical model of system is also testified by the experimental results.

MOTION PLANNING OF MULTIPLE MOBILE ROBOTS COOPERATIVELY TRANSPORTING A COMMON OBJECT

Many applications above the capability of a single robot need the cooperation of multiple mobile robots, but effective cooperation is hard to achieve. In this paper, a master slave method is proposed to control the motions of multiple mobile robots that cooperatively transport a common object from a start point to a goal point. A noholonomic kinematic model to constrain the motions of multiple mobile robots is built in order to achieve cooperative motions of them, and a “Dynamic Coordinator” strategy is used to deal with the collision avoidance of the master robot and slave robot individually. Simulation results show the robustness and effectiveness of the method.