Abstract This paper describes a model preditictive control scheme for the horizontal flight guidance of an unmanned powered paraglider (PPG). These aircraft are characterized by their comparatively high wind-to-airspeed ratio and slow, nonlinear flight dynamics. The proposed control scheme consists of two cascaded loops: The inner loop is the heading controller, which is implemented using conventional feedback control; the outer loop controls the horizontal flight path and is implemented using a model predictive controller. Due to the high wind-to-airspeed ratio, wind needs to be taken into account during prediction. To this end, we adopt a simple and robust wind estimation, based only on inertial velocities and heading information. To solve the computationally demanding nonlinear, constrained optimization problem we use a domain-specific heuristic enabling the implementation on a microcontroller. The control scheme is validated using simulations and flight tests, demonstrating good, reproducible flight path following capabilities.
Nonlinear Model Predictive Flight Path Control for an Unmanned Powered Paraglider
15.12.2017
19 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Linear Dynamics and PID Flight Control of a Powered Paraglider
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2009
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