A Rapid-prototyping process for Flight Control Algorithms for Use in over-all Aircraft Design

Abstract

This paper describes the development and current status of a fully automated aircraft model integration and preliminary control law design process for use in aircraft over-all design. This process allows addressing flight control algorithms as a prime design variable from the earliest design stages, and facilitates multi-disciplinary aircraft over-all dynamic design analyses in for example Multi-disciplinary Design Optimization. The approach taken in this work is to address the flight control algorithms at a specification level (e.g. dynamic response parameters) and newly synthesize according algorithms adapted to the current aircraft design configuration by means of a rapid-prototyping process. This in turn enables the use of dynamic analyses in all disciplines involved (flight loads, systems, performance) from the earliest design stages, increasing accuracy, reducing conservativeness in multidisciplinary optimization, and reducing risk by increasing compatibility with dynamic analyses performed in detailed design stages. In order to ensure the latter, the proposed control law prototyping process has been developed to naturally evolve into detailed design of the flight control system.