Weight-shift control (WSC) of ultralight aircrafts operates via human-powered actions by shifting a mass suspended below a flexible wing. However, relying solely on human-powered control hinders their capability for longer duration missions and autonomous operation. This work experimentally validates automatic flight control for ultralight weight-shift aircraft using a cable-driven parallel robot. After validation of the cable-driven parallel robot’s capabilities within laboratory settings to perform trajectory tracking for different scenarios, the prototype actuation system is integrated with a human-piloted weight-shift aircraft as an electronic fly-by-wire control for attitude adjustment. The test pilot uses straightforward joystick input to perform weight-shift maneuvers. Results confirm the cable-driven parallel robot’s potential to replace conventional human-powered WSC, and lays the groundwork for autonomous flight control for weight-shift aircraft.
Automatic Weight-Shift Aircraft Control with Experimental Fly-By-Wire Flights
Mechan. Machine Science
CCToMM Symposium on Mechanisms, Machines, and Mechatronics ; 2025 ; Ottawa, ON, Canada June 19, 2025 - June 20, 2025
Proceedings of the 2025 CCToMM Symposium on Mechanisms, Machines, and Mechatronics ; Kapitel : 16 ; 200-211
25.06.2025
12 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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