Download or read book Flight Control and Simulation for Aerial Refueling written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper addresses the problem of controlling the receiver aircraft to achieve a successful aerial refueling. For the performance verification of the controller, a new set of nonlinear, 6-DOF, rigid body equations of motion for the receiver aircraft has been derived. The equations are developed using the reference frame as one that is attached to, translates and rotates with the tanker aircraft. Furthermore, the nonlinear equations contain the wind effect terms and their time derivatives to represent the aerodynamic coupling involved between the two aircraft. These wind terms are obtained using an averaging technique that computes the effective induced wind components and wind gradients in the receiver aircraft's body frame. Dynamics of the engine and the actuators are also included in the study. A linear position-tracking controller has been designed using a combination of integral control and optimal LQR design. The controller does not use the information of the tanker's vortex induced wind effects acting on the receiver aircraft as well as the mass change that occurs during refueling. The performance of the controller is evaluated in the high fidelity simulation environment employing the new sets of equations of motion. The simulation and control design are applied to a tailless fighter aircraft with innovative control effectors and thrust vectoring capability. Various allocation schemes for redundant control variables are analyzed in a realistic approach maneuver to the refueling contact position behind the tanker aircraft. In this paper, the performance evaluation is presented only during the initial phase of aerial refueling maneuver when the receiver aircraft maneuvers to reach the refueling contact position.
Download or read book Formation Flight Control for Aerial Refueling written by Steven M. Ross and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Intelligent Flight Control Simulation Research Program written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between December 2002 and September 2006, the Institute for Scientific Research, Inc. (ISR) performed basic and applied research for the Air Force Research Laboratory/Control Sciences Division's (AFRL/VAC). Under the program, entitled "Intelligent Flight Control Simulation Research Laboratory," a variety of technologies were investigated or developed during the course of the research for AFRL/VAC. The majority of scientific and technical deliverables as a result of the research activities were open literature publications, periodic research reports, customer briefing materials, customer briefings, simulation software and simulation software manuals. This report summarizes the Automated Aerial Refueling, and Multiple Agent Coordinated Control efforts.
Download or read book Control and Simulation of Relative Motion for Aerial Refueling in Racetrack Maneuver written by Eunyoung Kim and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis addresses the problem of controlling the receiver aircraft to achieve a successful aerial refueling. For the performance verification of the controller, a new set of nonlinear, 6-DOF, rigid body equations of motion for the receiver aircraft has been used. The equations are written in terms of state variables that are relative to the reference frame that is attached to, translates and rotates with the tanker aircraft. Furthermore, the nonlinear equations contain the wind effect terms and their time derivatives to represent the aerodynamic coupling involved between the two aircraft. These wind terms are obtained using an averaging technique that computes the effective induced wind components and wind gradients in the receiver aircraft's body frame. Dynamics of the engine and the actuators are also included in the study. A position-tracking controller has been designed using "gain scheduling" technique based on a combination of integral control and optimal LQR design. The scheduling is utilized to satisfy the performance requirement of the controller during the whole "racetrack" maneuver of the tanker in a standard aerial refueling operation. The nominal flight conditions that are used for the linearization of the nonlinear equations of motion are (i) straight wing-level ight and (ii) steady turn. The position tracking controller can be used for (i) flying from observation position to the refueling position, (ii) station keeping for the actual fuel transfer during the whole racetrack maneuver of the tanker and (iii) flying away from the refueling position once the fuel transfer is completed. The performance of the controller is evaluated in a high fidelity simulation environment, which, employing the new sets of equations of motion, includes the relative motion of the receiver and the tanker and the aerodynamic coupling due to the trailing vortex of the tanker. The simulation and control design are applied to a tailless fighter aircraft with innovative control effectors and thrust vectoring capability.
Download or read book Development of an Air to Air Refueling Automatic Flight Control System Using Quantitative Feedback Theory written by Dennis W. Trosen and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantitative Feedback Theory and the improved method Quantitative Feedback Theory are enhanced to include the rejection of disturbance at the system output. The enhanced Quantitative Feedback Theory and improved method Quantitative Feedback Theory processes are applied to the design of an automatic flight control system to regulate position of the C-135B fuel receiving aircraft relative to the tanker during air-to-air refueling. A simple feedback control system is developed that will achieve stable position regulation. State-space aircraft models & re generated. An inner loop autopilot is designed to reduce the plant cutoff frequency and provide the system inputs for the Quantitative Feedback Theory compensators. Disturbance models representing disturbance due to wind gusts and refueling are developed. The flight control system is designed using the enhanced Quantitative Feedback Theory equations. Linear simulations & re performed on MATRIX, and nonlinear simulations are run on EASY5x. The results of the simulations show excellent results. The simulation results indicate that air-to-air automatic flight control system are technically achievable, and that implementation in USAF aircraft is possible ... QFT, Flight control, Air-to-air refueling, Disturbance rejection, Regulation control.
Download or read book Aerial Refueling written by United States. Federal Aviation Agency and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Gain Scheduling Controller for Aircraft with Mass and Inertia Variation written by Eunyoung Kim (Ph.D.) and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Robustness is one of the main control design requirements for aircraft control. Robustness is sought in the stability and performance of closed loop system against various factors such as disturbance, measurement error, modeling error or un-modeled dynamics. In aircraft control design, it is common to assume that the mass and inertia properties of aircraft are constant. Further, aircraft is assumed to have symmetry in its mass distribution relative to its mid-vertical plane. There are, however, cases where the aircraft mass changes rapidly, most notably in aerial refueling operation. The mass change also results in changes in the inertia matrix. An aircraft may also lose its mass symmetry in the case of, for example, asymmetric fuel loading or internal fuel transfer between fuel tanks. If a control design is carried out based on a specific mass and inertia configuration, the stability and performance of the closed loop system may degrade when the aircraft flies with a different configuration. This research effort focuses on addressing this issue in aerial refueling and formation flight by employing gain scheduling based on the aircraft mass and inertia configuration. The fuel mass in each fuel tank is considered as gain scheduling variables in addition to the ones associated with aircraft dynamics such as airspeed and turn rate. The first step of this research is to determine the number of nominal flight conditions to be included in the gain scheduling control design. Eigenvalue and Bode plot analyses are carried out based on the linearized equations of motion for various flight conditions, and symmetric and asymmetric fuel mass configurations. To reduce the number of cases included in the gain scheduling, "similar" cases are combined. An LQR-based MIMO (Multi Input Multi Output) integral control is designed for each nominal flight and mass configuration. An interpolation scheme based on the "mass distance" is developed to combine this linear controllers into the gain scheduling controller. The "mass distance" is defined as the norm of the differences between the current fuel tank amounts and those of each nominal mass configuration. This gain scheduling controller is implemented in aerial refueling simulation for a tailless delta wing aircraft with thrust vectoring capability. The simulation environment includes the 6-DOF models of both tanker and receiver, mass and inertial variation of the receiver aircraft in terms of the fuel mass in each fuel tank, aerodynamic coupling due to the tanker wake induced non uniform wind. The controller of the tanker aircraft is to y the aircraft at commanded altitude, speed, and turn rate. The gain scheduling controller of the receiver aircraft is to track the commanded position relative to the body frame of the tanker aircraft. The receiver controller was tuned in three control allocation cases: (1) no thrust vectoring; only aerodynamic control effects in use, (2)both aerodynamic effectors and thrust vectoring in use, and (3) no elevator or rudder used; only thrust vectoring and aileron in use. The performance of the gain scheduling controller is evaluated through the aerial refueling maneuver when the receiver moves between the observation position, point on the side and behind the tanker, and the refueling position, a point right behind and slightly below the tanker. The simulation results first of all demonstrates that a linear controller designed based on a nominal flight condition and mass configuration cannot safely complete the refueling maneuver when the aircraft has a different mass configuration. The simulation results further shows that the gain scheduling controller employing mass configuration as additional scheduling variables can successfully carry out the refueling maneuver with various symmetric and asymmetric fuel tank configuration.
Download or read book Simulation of the Dynamically Coupled KC 135 Tanker and Refueling Boom written by Jeremy J. Smith and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Study and Simulation Program to Investigate the Mechanization of an Aircraft Flight Control System that Employs Direct Lift Volume Ii Pilot in the loop Simulation Study of Direct Lift Control written by Thomas W. Chase and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A moving base pilot-in-the-loop simulator study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of direct lift control systems in improving the mission effectiveness of two types of aircraft. The missions considered were in-flight refueling, terrain following, and landing. The aircraft considered were the C-5A heavy cargo plane and the F-104 fighter-bomber. (Author).
Download or read book Modeling Aerial Refueling Operations written by Allen B. McCoy and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aerial Refueling (AR) is the act of offloading fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another aircraft (the receiver) in mid flight. Meetings between tanker and receiver aircraft are referred to as AR events and are scheduled to: escort one or more receivers across a large body of water; refuel one or more receivers; or train receiver pilots, tanker pilots, and boom operators. In order to efficiently execute the Aerial Refueling Mission, the Air Mobility Command (AMC) of the United States Air Force (USAF) depends on computer models to help it make tanker basing decisions, plan tanker sorties, schedule aircraft, develop new organizational doctrines, and influence policy. We have worked on three projects that have helped AMC improve its modeling and decision making capabilities. Optimal Flight Planning: Currently Air Mobility simulation and optimization software packages depend on algorithms which iterate over three dimensional fuel flow tables to compute aircraft fuel consumption under changing flight conditions. When a high degree of fidelity is required, these algorithms use a large amount of memory and CPU time. We have modeled the rate of aircraft fuel consumption with respect to AC Gross Weight, Altitude and Airspeed. When implemented, this formula will decrease the amount of memory and CPU time needed to compute sortie fuel costs and cargo capacity values. We have also shown how this formula can be used in optimal control problems to find minimum costs flight plans. Tanker Basing Demand Mismatch Index: Since 1992, AMC has relied on a Tanker Basing/AR Demand Mismatch Index which aggregates tanker capacity and AR demand data into six regions. This index was criticized because there were large gradients along regional boundaries. Meanwhile tankers frequently cross regional boundaries to satisfy the demand for AR support. In response we developed continuous functions to score locations with respect to their proximity to demand for AR support as well as their isolation from existing tanker bases. Optimal Scheduling: Because most of the tanker resources are controlled by individual Air National Guard Units there is little to no central authority coordinating tanker and receiver training schedules. We have been able to show that significant flying hour savings could be achieved if National Guard tanker units were to yield some of their scheduling autonomy to a central authority which was charged with the responsibility of matching tanker training requirements to receiver training requirements.
Download or read book AERIAL REFUELING THE FIRST CENTURY written by UGO VICENZI and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2019-02-27 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book presents history, methods, airplanes and operators in the area of Aerial Refueling, it shows an historical analysis from the first attempts in the aeronautical circuses, up to the affirmation as a military necessity after World War II and the subsequent expansion in many air forces Contents: - Development from the first attempts of 1929 to the first flight around the world without a stop - Detailed presentation of the various methods attempted in history, with drawings and photographs, - Description of types of aircraft in service performing in-flight refueling - Presentation of Air Forces, Units, their history, the strategic reasons that have developed the need for a fleet of tankers for the current 34 air forces, the future ones, as well as commercial operators - Presentation of of some unusual aircraft refueling attempts and vision on in-flight refueling systems in the - Fully illustrated with over 700 color images and drawings - 200 pages
Download or read book Dynamic Coupling of the KC 135 Tanker and Boom for Modeling and Simulation written by Austin L. Smith and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) research requires precision modeling and simulation of the refueling process between a KC-135 tanker aircraft and an unmanned aircraft. In order to meet this requirement, both steady-state and dynamic interactions between the tanker aircraft, the refueling boom, and the receiver aircraft must be accurately represented. Boom orientation and motion is known to change the trim of the tanker aircraft, which in turn influences the formation flying and station keeping tasks involved in current Air Force AAR concepts of operation. This paper describes the development of the coupled equations of motion for the refueling boom, which model its motion and its dynamic interactions with the tanker. For the purposes of this investigation, and to validate the boom model dynamics, the coupled boom model is first implemented as a boom-only simulation. The coupled model is compared to two existing boom-only models: one of which has been used for aerial refueling improvement studies, and the other is currently being used for boom operator training. Steady-state and dynamic responses to control inputs to the boom are calculated by the coupled boom model, then compared to those calculated using the existing models.
Download or read book A Prototype UAV Control Station Interface for Automated Aerial Refueling written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Air Force has recognized a growing need for an air refueling capability on Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) as these programs have developed. Such a capability will allow the UAVs to deploy into theater, extend their combat range and add to their persistence in the battle area. The Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL's) Human Effectiveness Directorate, Warfighter Interface Division, System Control Interface Branch's (AFRL/HECI) Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle - Operator/Vehicle Interface (UCAV-OVI) Laboratory has developed prototype control station interfaces for controlling multiple unmanned air vehicles during the air refueling phase of flight. A simulation evaluation was initiated to allow various subject matter experts (SMEs) the opportunity to review and comment upon the features and preliminary design concepts of these display interfaces. As a baseline evaluation, the intent was to collect subjective data and determine if there were any major flaws with the design. The SMEs provided excellent comments and suggestions and there were no major obstacles to completing the air refueling task.
Download or read book Advances in Guidance Navigation and Control written by Liang Yan and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-11-12 with total page 5416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book features the latest theoretical results and techniques in the field of guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) of vehicles and aircraft. It covers a range of topics, including, but not limited to, intelligent computing communication and control; new methods of navigation, estimation, and tracking; control of multiple moving objects; manned and autonomous unmanned systems; guidance, navigation, and control of miniature aircraft; and sensor systems for guidance, navigation, and control. Presenting recent advances in the form of illustrations, tables, and text, it also provides detailed information of a number of the studies, to offer readers insights for their own research. In addition, the book addresses fundamental concepts and studies in the development of GNC, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and researchers wanting to further their understanding of guidance, navigation, and control.
Download or read book In Flight Investigation of the B 1 Flight Control System written by Richard Wasserman and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-flight simulation and evaluation of variations in the B-1 flight control system based on fixed-operating-point characteristics was conducted using the USAF Total In-Flight Simulator (TIFS). Four primary variations of the flight control system, including SDAS (Stability and Control Augmentation System) on and off, and two values of the pitch force gradient were investigated for three flight conditions. These flight conditions were Powered Approach, Air Refueling and Terrain Following/Terrain Avoidance. The capability of the TIFS to simulate these flight correlations was clearly demonstrated. This program was the first on TIFS to utilize velocity mismatch simulation techniques which were required for the air refueling and terrain following tasks. This new in-flight simulation technique allows the evaluation pilot to experience appropriate linear and angular accelerations motion cues although the TIFS airplane is not at the initial trim velocity of the model airplane. For this program the TIFS simulation cockpit controls were modified to simulate the center stick and left hand throttle quadrant of the B-1 cickpit. The evaluation procedure utilized tasks appropriate to the respective missions investigated. Five pilots performed a total of 36 evaluations.
Download or read book Automated Aerial Refueling Research written by Jacob Hinchman and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Briefing reports on multi-vehicle wind tunnel tests conducted by Bihrle to obtain interaction data between a KC-135 tanker and a UAV receiver. The data will be used to develop a refueling simulation to evaluate controllability and preliminary automated designs for UAV refueling. The briefing discusses use of this data with a combination of automatic refueling and collision avoidance. This is very preliminary data on interactions. It has military application for advanced UAV refueling.
Download or read book Vision based Control for Flight Relative to Dynamic Environments written by Ryan Scott Causey and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The system framework focuses on an aircraft platform of which the system dynamics are derived to relate vehicle states to image plane quantities. Control designs using standard guidance and navigation schemes are then applied to the tracking and homing problems using the derived state estimation. Four simulations are implemented in MATLAB that build on the image concepts present in this dissertation. The first two simulations deal with feature point computations and the effects of uncertainty. The third simulation demonstrates the open-loop estimation of a target ground vehicle in pursuit whereas the four implements a homing control design for the Autonomous Aerial Refueling (AAR) using target estimates as feedback.
