This paper describes the flight test evaluation of an advanced digital helicopter flight control system. The controller was designed using an optimal control design procedure for a fully coupled lateral and longitudinal vehicle model. Explicit integrals of the guidance error were included to produce a Type 1 characteristics. Gain scheduling was used to account for changes in the vehicle dynamics. The digital controller was exercised by combining it with state estimators, a trajectory generator and a closed-loop guidance algorithm to form a helicopter autoland system. A CH-47 tandem rotor helicopter was equipped with sensors, on-board digital flight computers and electro-hydraulic actuators. The system was exercised by automatically flying straight-in descending decelerating trajectories typical of VFR manual landing approaches. A description of the test-ground facilities, the flight hardware and software, and the velocity and position tracking performance is included.


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    Title :

    Flight test of a digital controller used in a helicopter autoland system


    Additional title:

    Flugtest eines Digitalreglers, der in einem automatischen Landesystem fuer Helikopter Verwendung findet


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Automatica, Oxford ; 23 , 3 ; 295-300


    Publication date :

    1987


    Size :

    6 Seiten, 7 Bilder, 2 Tabellen, 7 Quellen



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




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