AFRL Control Science Overview 4

Aerospace Control and Guidance Systems Committee

Meeting 107

AFRL Control Science Overview 4.1.1.1 AFRL Abstract - Oppenheimer.docx

•The AFRL Control Science Center of Excellence conducts research in three broad areas, Multi UAV Control, Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle Dynamics and Control, and Hypersonic Vehicle Dynamics and Control. The focus of this particular overview is on the activities associated with the Multi UAV Control Group and their participation in the Joint US-Australia Talisman Saber Exercise. The group used Vigilant Spirit Ground Control stations and multiple small UAVs to provide aerial surveillance to select participants in the exercise. They demonstrated the ability to fly cooperative missions with 4 UAVs under the control of the Vigilant Spirit Control Station at the Command Post (CP) and with forward deployed teams equipped with laptops. Cooperative control tools managed the activities resulting in the identification of hundreds of vehicles on roads and under camouflage. The system also indentified types & numbers of aircraft on airfields and identified beach landing areas and sited blue force assets. In total, the group flew 71 sorties - 64 flight hours with no mishaps.

Controls Research at the United StatesAirForceAcademy

Tom Cunningham

Department of Aeronautics

The US Air Force Academy has the mission of cadet based research for the education of future Air Force officers. To that end the Department of Aeronautics faculty members direct all cadets in the department in real work research projects of interest to US government aerospace needs. This involves cadets working in one of the numerous wind tunnels at USAFA. Most projects are funded by military or NASA sponsors. Examples are damage repair tabs for the A-10 and parachute dynamics for the NASA Orin return vehicle.

4.1.2 Federal Aviation Administration – Stan Pszczolkowski

In March 2011 the FAA will publish two key planning documents: “2011 Update to the NexGen Implementation Plan” and “Destination 2025”. The former is a key external outreach document that was developed with stakeholder involvement. The later, which replaces the “Flight Plan”, is the FAA’s long term strategic vision. It contains 5 goal area, metrics and a clear integration with NextGen. Transformation imperatives include the optimization of shared services, the upgrade strategic capabilities, realignment in support of NextGen, collaboration and the building of a “One FAA” culture. The FAA recently published the “FAA 2010 Performance and Accountability Report” ( The agency met 28 of 31 targets in Safety, Capacity, International Leadership and Organizational Excellence.

Field site testing of the Enroute Automation Modernization (ERAM) system continues. It will be operational at all 20 Air Route Traffic Control Centers by the end of 2013. ERAM, a critical NextGen foundation effort, will replace an air traffic control automation capability that includes 1990s hardware and 1960s-2000s software (BAL and JOVIAL). ERAM has over 1,800,000 source lines of code in C, C++ and ADA, equally split between new/modified and reused.

Government Agencies Summary Reports – NASA Langley

Marty Waszak

Deputy Director

Office of Center Chief Technologist

NASALangleyResearchCenter

Hampton, VA

Abstract

Recent accomplishments at Langley cover a wide range of flight dynamics and control topics including launch vehicles, flexible aircraft, next generation air traffic operations, and probabilistic control analysis and design. methods The Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) is an alternate launch abort system concept for future human space exploration. MLAS involves a number of control challenges including static and dynamic instability, highly nonlinear effectors, and control allocation. A key challenge of large supersonic aircraft is the effect of dynamic aeroelastics on flying qualities. A simulation study is underway to assess pilot-vehicle coupling. The challenges of NextGen air traffic management involve increasing capacity while also improving safety. Several studies are ongoing and planned to increase capacity by using synthetic/enhanced vision systems, weather avoidance management, ADS-B, and runway configuration management. A new technique has been developed to design control systems taking into account parametric uncertainties. UQ Tools is a collection of Matlab tools to substantially reduce the cost and time required for Monte Carlo analyses to assure close loop performance under parametric uncertainty. Application of UQ Tools to relevant problems is underway and a beta version of the UQ Tools toolbox is available.

NASA GRC Research in Intelligent Propulsion Control and Diagnostics

ABSTRACT 4.1.3.2 NASA GRC Abstract - Garg.docx

With the increased emphasis on aircraft safety, enhanced performance and affordability, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft, there are many new challenges being faced by the designers of aircraft propulsion systems. Also the propulsion systems required to enable the NASA future human space exploration activities in an affordable manner will need to have high reliability, safety and autonomous operation capability. The Controls and Dynamics Branch at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet these challenges through the concept of Intelligent Propulsion Systems. This presentation describes some of the key current activities of the Controls and Dynamics Branch (CDB) under the NASA Aeronautics Research and Exploration Systems Missions. The programmatic structure of the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission is briefly discussed and the new program management structure for Aeronautics Programs is overviewed.

The activities covered in the presentation include: i) Recent GRC accomplishment in demonstration of active suppression of combustion instability for a low emission prototype combustor; ii) Research on an enhanced gas path diagnostics architecture which is based on the use of a real-time on-board engine model which adapts to changes in engine condition; iii) Development of a risk assessment architecture to implement enhance engine response control modes for emergency operation.

Government Agencies Summary Reports – NASA Dryden

Steve Jacobson

NASADrydenResearchCenter

Edwards, CA

Abstract

NASA Dryden has been recently completed several major activities in controls and dynamics. This presentation highlights this work as well as ongoing work and future research and technology development. The most recent significant activity recently completed was flight research that culminates a multi-year effort in development of adaptive control technologies for piloted vehicles. The research computers for the NASA FAST aircraft were used for this research. Additionally this presentation gives a status on the upcoming research in control of flexible structures, Autonomous Aerial Refueling with the global hawk aircraft, SOFIA’s recent ‘first light’ accomplishment, and upcoming flight activities in hypersonics and automatic collision avoidance technology.

Eric Feron

Georgia Institute of Technology

Controls at Georgia Tech

The controls research group at Georgia Tech includes more than 16 professors, distributed across many schools, including Aerospace, Mechanical, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. Working with their advisors, a large body of undergraduate and graduate students is addressing a variety of subjects of aerospace interest. These projects include extensive flight testing activities for vision-based flight, human factor studies for human assisted moon-landing procedures, planning of aggressive trajectories for land and air vehicles, innovative autonomous vehicle design, air transportation and real-time software analysis and design. With such a range of activities, Georgia Tech, together with the Georgia Tech Research Institute, is an important player in aerospace control and autonomy research.

Dave Schmidt,Professor Emeritus

University of Colorado

A new book entitled Modern Flight Dynamics will be published by McGraw-Hill in March 2011. The almost 900-page offering is written as a textbook for senior-level engineering undergraduates who have been introduced to intermediate dynamics, aerodynamics, and classical feedback control. The text contains many examples and exercises, using data for several aircraft, and makes copious use of MATLAB/Simulink. Many MATLAB routines related to the examples are made available to the reader. Though easily followed by undergraduates, the book is a more rigorous work than many existing texts, especially with regard to the derivations of the nonlinear equations of motion in several reference frames, as well as the treatment of direction-cosine matrices, small-perturbation theory, and linear-systems analysis. Three chapters address the modeling of the forces and moments on the vehicle, plus static and dynamic aeroelastic effects are treated extensively in the presentation, including a case study on active structural mode control of the B-1 aircraft. Feedback-stability augmentation is directly tied to, and motivated by the results from the linear analysis of the vehicle’s dynamics. Common autopilot modes (e.g., heading hold, ILS couplers) and the crossover pilot model are all presented in the context of conventional loop shaping. Hence, the work could also be a useful reference for practicing professionals. Finally, the author would like to recognize the contributions of many members of the ACGSC that were significant to the development of this book.

Gary Balas

Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics

University of Minnesota

The Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. aerospace engineering doctoral program has been placed fourth in the nation overall in the recently released 2010 National Research Council (NRC) Assessment of Doctoral Research Programs. The program was second in the specific categories of Research Activity and Student Support.

The Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Minnesota has recently had the grand opening of their beautifully and newly renovated hangar for Akerman Hall. The original hangar was constructed in 1952. The renovated hangar has a live web camera at

Two new research programs on aeroservoelastic control supported by NASA have been initiated. UMN AEM has a NASA STTR with Tao Systems on Robust Aeroservoelastic Control Utilizing Physics-Based Aerodynamic Sensing.

Independently, MUSYN received a NASA SBIR Phase I on Adaptive Linear, Parameter Varying Control for Aeroservoelastic Suppression.

Rockwell Collins

Vlad Gavrilets

Athena Technologies, after acquisition by Rockwell Collins in April 2008, has been renamed Rockwell Collins Control Technologies (RCCT). RCCT has continued expansion beyond its core business of providing guidance, navigation, and control systems for unmanned aircraft into several other areas: engine control units, azimuth determination and tracking units for ground-based far target locators, FAA-certified cockpit avionics for manned aircraft and helicopters, and precise GPS positioning. Presentation features several new RCCT products on the market.

In the original core business, RCCT successfully completed its Damage Tolerant Flight Control on an operational UAV; exceeded 1,000,000 flight hours in theater with its Athena product line of integrated flight control, navigation, and vehicle management systems; and completed over 200 flight hours on its new low-cost triplex redundant flight control system. This system is based on triplex redundant Athena units, used for state vector estimation, and a newly designed General Purpose Computer (GPC1000), a ruggedized industrial computer with expansive I/O, used for flight control calculations and redundancy management.

Louis H. Knotts, President

Calspan Corporation

Current work on going within the Flight Research Group of Calspan includes flight test work supporting Unmanned Air Vehicle research, Piasecki Helicopter X-49A modifications to add a Programmable Flight Control system, a Boeing offset program for the Republic of Korea, and some collaboration projects with STI. The Unmanned Air Vehicle flight test utilizes the Calspan variable stability Learjets to conduct flight test in support of the Automatic Aerial Refueling and Sense and Avoid projects. This is a multi-year effort and will continue through 2011. The X-49A projects expands the yaw axis programmable flight control system that was added last year into an all axis programmable flight control system to improve handling qualities and reduce pilot workload. The Boeing offset program includes development of a Genesis engineering ground simulator, a Learjet simulation project of a Korean aircraft, and in-country training.

Hoh Aeronautics, Inc. Research Update

HAI is in the final stages of development of an expert system for the application of ADS-33E-PRF, the military specification for rotorcraft handling qualities. Under a Phase II.5 SBIR from NAVAIR, the ADS-33 Specification Assistance Package (ASAP) will pre-process input data from many different sources and formats; compute time- and frequency-response parameters; and assist the user with interpreting the results when those parameters are compared with the requirements of ADS-33E-PRF. A Beta version of the software, running in MATLAB, should be released this Fall.

In support of the ASAP development, HAI is helping the Navy in flight test evaluations of handling qualities of large cargo helicopters, focusing on slung-load operations. Testing is ongoing at PatuxentRiver with a CH-53E. HAI is also developing a display system for evaluations of handling qualities for helicopter shipboard launches and recoveries. Based around the Superslide developed by the Canadian National Research Council, the portable display will be an electronic board that will be programmable for different ship motions and Sea States.

HeliSAS, the low-cost, lightweight helicopter SAS system developed by HAI, is finally about to get an FAA Supplemental Type Certification for the Bell 206, and more STC’s should follow shortly.

HAI has just completed a survey of UAV designers and users for the Navy. This survey confirmed the need for dedicated UAV flying characteristics design criteria and requirements.

Dave Mitchell, the Technical Director at HAI for the past 17 years, has left the company to start his own business part-time, and to work for another small business part-time.

Hoh Aeronautics, Inc. Research Update

HeliSAS, the low-cost, lightweight helicopter SAS system developed by HAI, is finally about to get an FAA Supplemental Type Certification for the Bell 206, and more STC’s should follow shortly.

HAI has just completed a survey of UAV designers and users for the Navy. This survey confirmed the need for dedicated UAV flying characteristics design criteria and requirements.

Dave Mitchell, the Technical Director at HAI for the past 17 years, has left the company to start his own business part-time, and to work for another small business part-time.

Recent Activities at Systems Technology, Inc.

David

Fused Reality Flight for Enhanced Flight Test Capabilities

In terms of relevancy to piloted evaluation, there remains no substitute for actual flight tests even

when considering the fidelity and effectiveness of modern ground-based simulators. In addition

to real world cueing (vestibular, visual, aural, environmental, etc.), flight test provides subtle but

key intangibles that cannot be duplicated in a ground-based simulator. There is, however, a cost

to be paid for the benefits of flight in terms of budget, mission complexity, and safety including

the need for ground and control room personnel, additional aircraft, etc. New technologies and

test procedures are therefore needed to maximize the investments and reduce some of the related

costs associated with flight test. To address this need, Systems Technology, Inc. is developing a

Fused Reality™ (FR) Flight system that allows a virtual environment to be integrated with the

test aircraft so that tasks such as aerial refueling, formation flying, or approach and landing can