Fixed-Time Sliding Mode Control With Varying Exponent Coefficient for Modular Reconfigurable Flight Arrays

The modular system can change its physical structure by self-assembly and self-disassembly between modules to dynamically adapt to task and environmental requirements. Recognizing the adaptive capability of modular systems, we introduce a modular reconfigurable flight array(MRFA) to pursue a multifunction aircraft fitting for diverse tasks and requirements,and investigate the attitude control and the control allocation problem by using the modular reconfigurable flight array as a platform. First, considering the variable and irregular topological configuration of the modular array, a center-of-mass-independent flight array dynamics model is proposed to allow control allocation under over-actuated situations. Secondly, in order to meet the stable, fast and accurate attitude tracking performance of the MRFA, a fixed-time convergent sliding mode controller with state-dependent variable exponent coefficients is proposed to ensure fast convergence rate both away from and near the system equilibrium point without encountering the singularity. It is shown that the controller also has fixed-time convergent characteristics even in the presence of external disturbances. Finally,simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed modeling and control strategies.

Dynamic flight stability of a hovering model insect:lateral motion

The lateral dynamic flight stability of a hovering model insect （dronefly） was studied using the method of computational fluid dynamics to compute the stability derivatives and the techniques of eigenvalue and eigenvector analysis for solving the equations of motion. The main results are as following. （i） Three natural modes of motion were identified： one unstable slow divergence mode （mode 1）, one stable slow oscillatory mode （mode 2）, and one stable fast subsidence mode （mode 3）. Modes 1 and 2 mainly consist of a rotation about the horizontal longitudinal axis （x-axis） and a side translation; mode 3 mainly consists of a rotation about the x-axis and a rotation about the vertical axis. （ii） Approximate analytical expressions of the eigenvalues are derived, which give physical insight into the genesis of the natural modes of motion. （iii） For the unstable divergence mode, td, the time for initial disturbances to double, is about 9 times the wingbeat period （the longitudinal motion of the model insect was shown to be also unstable and td of the longitudinal unstable mode is about 14 times the wingbeat period）. Thus, although the flight is not dynamically stable, the instability does not grow very fast and the insect has enough time to control its wing motion to suppress the disturbances.

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.

Aerodynamics of flexible wing in bees' hovering flight

The aerodynamics of 2-dimensional flexible wings in bees＇ normal hovering flight is studied. Four insect flapping flight coordinate systems, including a global system, a bodyfixed system, a rigid wing-fixed system and a flexible wingfixed system, are established to represent the insects＇ position, gesture, wing movement and wing deformation, respectively. Then the transformations among four coordinate systems are studied. It is found that the elliptic coordinate system can improve the computation accuracy and reduce the calculation complexity in a 2-dimensional rigid wing. The computation model of a 2-dimensional flexible wing is established, and the changes of the force, moment, and power are investigated. According to the computation results, the large lift and drag peaks at the beginning and end of the stroke can be explained by the superposition of the rapid translational acceleration, the fast pitching-up rotation and the Magnus effect; and the small force and drag peaks can be explained by the convex flow effect and the concave flow effect. Compared with the pressure force, pressure moment and translational power, the viscous force, viscous moment and rotational power are small and can be ignored.

Unsteady aerodynamics modeling for flight dynamics application

In view of engineering application, it is practicable to decompose the aerodynamics into three components： the static aerodynamics, the aerodynamic increment due to steady rotations, and the aerodynamic increment due to unsteady separated and vortical flow. The first and the second components can be presented in conventional forms, while the third is described using a one-order differential equation and a radial-basis-function （RBF） network. For an aircraft configuration, the mathematical models of 6- component aerodynamic coefficients are set up from the wind tunnel test data of pitch, yaw, roll, and coupled yawroll large-amplitude oscillations. The flight dynamics of an aircraft is studied by the bifurcation analysis technique in the case of quasi-steady aerodynamics and unsteady aerodynam- ics, respectively. The results show that： （1） unsteady aerodynamics has no effect upon the existence of trim points, but affects their stability; （2） unsteady aerodynamics has great effects upon the existence, stability, and amplitudes of periodic solutions; and （3） unsteady aerodynamics changes the stable regions of trim points obviously. Furthermore, the dynamic responses of the aircraft to elevator deflections are inspected. It is shown that the unsteady aerodynamics is beneficial to dynamic stability for the present aircraft. Finally, the effects of unsteady aerodynamics on the post-stall maneuverability

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）.

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.

Iterative Estimation for Flight Dynamic Helicopter Simulator

Flight simulators can provide a suitable alternative to real flight, mainly to increase safety through the training of crew, and evaluation data from simulator can be used to validation and certification of aircraft systems. However, it must convey some degree of realism to the user to be effective. For that reason, it is necessary to calibrate the simulator software. Calibration for flight simulation is parameter identification process. The process is formulated as an optimization problem, and it is solved by using a new approach named Multiple Particle Collision Algorithm （MPCA）. Results show a good performance for the employed approach.

Underconstrained Cable-Driven Parallel Suspension System of Virtual Flight Test Model in Wind Tunnel

An underconstrained cable-driven parallel robot(CDPR)suspension system was designed for a virtual flight testing(VFT)model.This mechanism includes two identical upper and lower kinematic chains,each of which comprises a cylindrical pair,rotating pair,and cable parallelogram.The model is pulled via two cables at the top and bottom and fixed by a yaw turntable,which can realize free coupling and decoupling with three rotational degrees of freedom of the model.First,the underconstrained CDPR suspension system of the VFT model was designed according to the mechanics theory,the degrees of freedom were verified,and the support platform was optimized to realize the coincidence between the model’s center of mass and the rotation center of the mechanism during the motion to ensure the stability of the support system.Finally,kinematic and dynamical modeling of the underconstrained CDPR suspension system was conducted;the system stiffness and stability criteria were deduced.Thus,the modeling of an underconstrained,reconfigurable,passively driven CDPR was understood comprehensively.Furthermore,dynamic simulations and experiments were used to verify that the proposed system meets the support requirements of the wind tunnel-based VFT model.This study serves as the foundation for subsequent wind tunnel test research on identifying the aerodynamic parameters of aircraft models,and also provides new avenues for the development of novel support methods for thewind tunnel testmodel.

Dynamic Surface Control with Nonlinear Disturbance Observer for Uncertain Flight Dynamic System

A new robust control method of a nonlinear flight dynamic system with aerodynamic coefficients and external disturbance has been proposed.The proposed control system is a combination of the dynamic surface control(DSC)and the nonlinear disturbance observer(NDO).DSC technique provides the ability to overcome the″explosion of complexity″problem in backstepping control.NDO is adopted to observe the uncertainties in nonlinear flight dynamic system.It has been proved that the proposed design method can guarantee uniformly ultimately boundedness of all the signals in the closed-loop system by Lyapunov stability theorem.Finally,simulation results show that the proposed controller provides better performance than the traditional nonlinear controller.

Development of an Autonomous Flight Control System for Small Size Unmanned Helicopter Based on Dynamical Model

It is devoted to the development of an autonomous flight control system for small size unmanned helicopter based on dynamical model. At first, the mathematical model of a small size helicopter is described. After that simple but effective MTCV control algorithm was proposed. The whole flight control algorithm is composed of two parts: orientation controller based on the model for rotation dynamics and a robust position controller for a double integrator. The MTCV block is also used to achieve translation velocity control. To demonstrate the performance of the presented algorithm, simulation results and results achieved in real flight experiments were presented.

Robust bounded control for uncertain flight dynamics using disturbance observer

The robust bounded flight control scheme is developed for the uncertain longitudinal flight dynamics of the fighter with control input saturation invoking the backstepping technique. To enhance the disturbance rejection ability of the robust flight control for fighters, the sliding mode disturbance observer is designed to estimate the compounded disturbance including the unknown external disturbance and the effect of the control input saturation. Based on the backstepping technique and the compounded disturbance estimated output, the robust bounded flight control scheme is proposed for the fighter with the unknown external disturbance and the control input saturation. The closed-loop system stability under the developed robust bounded flight control scheme is rigorously proved using the Lyapunov method and the uniformly asymptotical convergences of all closed-loop signals are guaranteed. Finally, simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed robust bounded flight control scheme for the uncertain longitudinal flight dynamics of the fighter.

Output Feedback Dynamic Surface Controller Design for Airbreathing Hypersonic Flight Vehicle

This paper addresses issues related to nonlinear robust output feedback controller design for a nonlinear model of airbreathing hypersonic vehicle. The control objective is to realize robust tracking of velocity and altitude in the presence of immeasurable states, uncertainties and varying flight conditions. A novel reduced order fuzzy observer is proposed to estimate the immeasurable states. Based on the information of observer and the measured states, a new robust output feedback controller combining dynamic surface theory and fuzzy logic system is proposed for airbreathing hypersonic vehicle. The closedloop system is proved to be semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded (SUUB), and the tracking error can be made small enough by choosing proper gains of the controller, filter and observer. Simulation results from the full nonlinear vehicle model illustrate the effectiveness and good performance of the proposed control scheme. © 2014 Chinese Association of Automation.

NONLINEAR DYNAMIC INVERSION CONTROL WITH ADAPTIVE COMPENSATION FOR FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM

A type of nonlinear dynamic inversion control with adaptive compensation is proposed in order to overcome its over sensitivity to parameter uncertainty and disturbance for flight control system using nonlinear dynamic inversion. This control strategy is different from the general strategy of a nonlinear adaptive control by taking into consideration both parameter uncertainty and external disturbance, the two major uncertain forms in flight control. Finally, an analysis of the stabilily of this control structure is given.

Model of Airflow Field on the Deck for Shipborne Helicopter Flight Dynamics Analysis

For the research of helicopter/ship dynamic interface,the method of combining steady flow and stochastic flow is adopted to establish a flow field model applied to the flight dynamics analysis of shipborne helicopter.The steady flow is calculated by computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method,while the stochastic flow is composed of the compensation velocity derived from ship motion and turbulence above the deck.The accuracy of the proposed flow field model is verified by comparing the helicopter response in the proposed flow field with the results calculated by US Army′s Military Specifications(MIL)model which is commonly used in engineering.Meanwhile,it also shows the proposed flow field model is more appliable to flight dynamics analysis of shipborne helicopter.On that the basis,ship deck flow field is simulated at different sea conditions by adjusting the wind speed on the deck,mother ship movement and shipboard turbulence,etc.And helicopter angular rate response is calculated.The results show that the difference of dynamic stability between helicopter′s roll and pitch leads to the facts that the influence of above factors on the helicopter′s roll angular rate response is greater than that of pitch angular rate,that the frequency and amplitude of mother ship roll motion are much greater than those of pitch motion,and that the disturbance caused by roll motion on the air has greater influence on the helicopter response.The shipboard turbulence is the main disturbance factor that influences helicopter flight stability and its intensity determines the amplitudes of angular rate response.

Tensors of Rank Two in Tensor Flight Dynamics

Tensor flight dynamics solves flight dynamics problems using Cartesian tensors, which are invariant under coordinate transformations, rather than Gibbs’ vectors, which change under time-varying transformations. Three tensors of rank two play a prominent role and are the subject of this paper: moment of inertia, rotation, and angular velocity tensor. A new theorem is proven governing the shift of reference frames, which is used to derive the angular velocity tensor from the rotation tensor. As applications, the general strap-down INS equations are derived, and the effect of the time-rate-of-change of the moment of inertia tensor on missile dynamics is investigated.

ADAPTIVE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM OF ARMED HELICOPTER USING WAVELET NEURAL NETWORK METHOD

A discussion is devoted to the design of an adaptive flight control system of the armed helicopter using wavelet neural network method. Firstly, the control loop of the attitude angle is designed with a dynamic inversion scheme in a quick loop and a slow loop. respectively. Then, in order to compensate the error caused by dynamic inversion, the adaptive flight control system of the armed helicopter using wavelet neural network method is put forward, so the BP wavelet neural network and the Lyapunov stable wavelet neural network are used to design the helicopter flight control system. Finally, the typical maneuver flight is simulated to demonstrate its validity and effectiveness. Result proves that the wavelet neural network has an engineering practical value and the effect of WNN is good.

A Computational Study on Lateral Flight Stability of the Cranefly in Hover

The dynamic flight stability of hovering insects includes the longitudinal and lateral motion.Research results have shown that for the majority of hovering insects the same longitudinal natural modes are identified and the hovering flight in longitudinal is unstable.However,in lateral,the modal structure for hovering insects could be different and the stability property of lateral disturbance motion is not as robust as that of longitudinal motion.The cranefly possesses larger aspect ratio and lower Reynolds number,and such differences in morphology and kinematics may make the lateral dynamic stability different.In this paper,the lateral flight stability of the cranefly in hover is investigated by numerical simulation.Firstly,the stability derivatives are acquired by solving the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations.Subsequently,the dynamic stability characteristics are checked by analyzing the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the linearized system.Computational results indicate that the lateral dynamic modal structure of cranefly is different from most other insects,consisting of three natural modes,and the weakly oscillatory mode illustrates the hovering lateral flight is nearly neutral.This neutral stability is mainly caused by the negative derivative of roll-moment vs.sideslip-velocity,which can be attributed to the weaker‘changingLEV-axial-velocity’effect.These results suggest that insects in nature may exhibit different dynamic stabilities with different morphological and kinematic parameters,which should be considered in the designs of flapping wing air vehicles.

AIRCRAFT FLIGHT SAFETY ANALYSIS IN LOW ALTITUDE AIRSPACE

The low altitude airspace will be open in China, general aviation flights are tremendously increased. Whether aircrafts can fly safely and how to determine the requirements of safety flight are the problems needed to be confirmed. Under this circumstances, based on the international Civil Aviation Organization（ICAO） criteria and the standards made by CAAC, this paper adopts the ＂See and Avoid＂ principle. Under the binding conditions of flight rules, visibility requirements, responding time, the aircraft speed, circle banking angle or the climbing angle, based on its study on aircraft dynamics principles, this paper establishes a mathematical collision avoidance model for head-to-head traffic and crossing converging traffic at the same level. And the safety separation requirements of the aircrafts in low altitude flight are equantitatively analyzed. Finally, the Matlab software is used to analyze the above method. The result shows that the safe traffic avoidance of the converging traffic at the same level meets certain flight conditions, while intersecting the traffic at the same level can safely avoid the collision.

New robust fault-tolerant controller for self-repairing flight control systems

A new robust fault-tolerant controller scheme integrating a main controller and a compensator for the self-repairing flight control system is discussed.The main controller is designed for high performance of the original faultless system.The compensating controller can be seen as a standalone loop added to the system to compensate the effects of fault guaranteeing the stability of the system.A design method is proposed using nonlinear dynamic inverse control as the main controller and nonlinear extended state observer-based compensator.The stability of the whole closed-loop system is analyzed.Feasibility and validity of the new controller is demonstrated with an aircraft simulation example.