Switched nonlinear control of a VSTOL aircraft

A longitudinal model of a vectored-thrust Vertical and/or Short Take-Off and Landing (VSTOL) aircraft, which operates in three distinct modes, is a high-dimensional system whose performance can be enhanced with the use of switched nonlinear control. The aircraft's performance is limited by physical constraints on such parameters as ground speed, angle of attack, and thrust, which are summarized by the aerodynamic flight envelope. We specify a least-restrictive control law which will keep the aircraft within this envelope. We independently examine the aerodynamic flight envelope constraints and design the nonlinear controller for each mode using approximate feedback linearization, then combine the results to guarantee tracking within a "safe" envelope. We provide an example of switching between these modes in a short take-off maneuver based on pilot data.

[1]  Karl Johan Åström,et al.  A Stabilizing Switching Scheme for Multi Controller Systems , 1996 .

[2]  S. Shankar Sastry,et al.  Aerodynamic envelope protection using hybrid control , 1998, Proceedings of the 1998 American Control Conference. ACC (IEEE Cat. No.98CH36207).

[3]  A. Morse,et al.  Basic problems in stability and design of switched systems , 1999 .

[4]  John Lygeros,et al.  Multiobjective Hybrid Controller Synthesis , 1997, HART.

[5]  James A. Franklin,et al.  Flight evaluation of advanced controls and displays for transition and landing on the NASA V/STOL systems research aircraft , 1996 .

[6]  John Fozard The British Aerospace Harrier Case Study in Aircraft Design , 1978 .

[7]  B. David Mcnally Full-envelope aerodynamic modeling of the Harrier aircraft , 1986 .

[8]  John Lygeros,et al.  Output tracking for a non-minimum phase dynamic CTOL aircraft model , 1995, Proceedings of 1995 34th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control.

[9]  M. Branicky Stability of switched and hybrid systems , 1994, Proceedings of 1994 33rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control.

[10]  Barnes W. McCormick,et al.  Aerodynamics, Aeronautics and Flight Mechanics , 1979 .

[11]  A. Morse,et al.  MIMO Design Models and Internal Regulators for Cyclicly-Switched Parameter-Adaptive Control Systems , 1993, 1993 American Control Conference.

[12]  J. Guckenheimer A robust hybrid stabilization strategy for equilibria , 1995, IEEE Trans. Autom. Control..

[13]  S. Shankar Sastry,et al.  Nonlinear control design for slightly non-minimum phase systems: Application to V/STOL aircraft , 1992, Autom..

[14]  S. Sastry,et al.  Hybrid Control in Air Traac Management Systems , 1995 .

[15]  Santosh Devasia,et al.  Exact-Output Tracking Theory for Systems with Parameter Jumps , 1997 .

[16]  J. A. Franklin,et al.  Control of V/STOL aircraft , 1986, The Aeronautical Journal (1968).