Trajectory Optimization Based on Interval Analysis

Trajectory optimization has been a large field of research for many years. The drawback is that for non-convex, constrained problems practically all available solvers cannot guarantee that the globally optimal trajectory is found. Interval analysis based solvers however can provide this guarantee. Interval analysis has been applied to trajectory...

Adaptive Optimizing Nonlinear Control Design for an Over-actuated Aircraft Model

In this paper nonlinear adaptive flight control laws based on the backstepping approach are proposed which are applicable to over-actuated nonlinear systems. Instead of solving the control allocation exactly, update laws for the desired control effector signals are defined such that they converge to the optimal solution. Stability and...

Pseudo Control Hedging and its Application for Safe Flight Envelope Protection

This paper describes how the previously developed concept of Pseudo Control Hedging (PCH) can be integrated in a Fault Tolerant Flight Controller (FTFC) as a safe flight envelope protection system of the first degree. This PCH algorithm adapts the reference model for the system output in case of unachievable commands due to control input...

Optimization of Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking using Interval Analysis

This paper applies interval optimization to the fixed-time multiple impulse rendezvous and docking problem. Current methods for solving this type of optimization problem include for example genetic algorithms and gradient based optimization. Unlike these methods, interval methods can guarantee that the globally best solution is found for a given...

Optic Flow Based State Estimation for an Indoor Micro Air Vehicle

This work addresses the problem of indoor state estimation for autonomous flying vehicles with an optic flow approach. The paper discusses a sensor configuration using six optic flow sensors of the computer mouse type augmented by a three-axis accelerometer to estimate velocity, rotation, attitude and viewing distances. It is shown that the...

Piloted Simulator Evaluation Results of New Fault-Tolerant Flight Control Algorithm

A high fidelity aircraft simulation model, reconstructed using the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) of the 1992 Amsterdam Bijlmermeer aircraft accident (Flight 1862), has been used to evaluate a new Fault-Tolerant Flight Control Algorithm in an online piloted evaluation. This paper focuses on the piloted simulator evaluation results....

Immersion and Invariance Based Nonlinear Adaptive Flight Control

In this paper a theoretical framework for nonlinear adaptive flight control is developed and applied to a simplified, over-actuated nonlinear fighter aircraft model. The framework is based on a modular adaptive backstepping scheme with a new type of nonlinear estimator. The nonlinear estimator is constructed using an invariant manifold based...

Full Envelope Modular Adaptive Control of a Fighter Aircraft using Orthogonal Least Squares

A new adaptive nonlinear flight controller is designed for a high fidelity, six degrees of freedom F-16 model for the entire flight envelope. The design is based on a modular approach which separates the design of the control law and the online identifier. The control law design is based on backstepping with nonlinear damping terms to robustify...