Aircraft Lateral - Directional Control System help

[aerojunkie]

Hello,

I am in a aircraft dynamics and control class. I am supposed to design a lateral - Directional control system for a UAV in simulink. i.e the plane is starting from North - 0 , East - 0 and 10000ft altitude, and is to go to a way point at some distance N , E and remain at 10,000 alt.

I already have the longitudinal auto pilot programmed to stay at 10000 ft , I am just totally lost do to the coupling of yaw and roll.

It is a 6 Degree of Freedom model. I was advised by the professor to use heading and bank angle into a PID to the ailerons.

Can anyone offer some advice on this?

Thanks

 

[Achy47]

.

Hello,

As a fellow scientist, I understand the challenges of designing a control system for a UAV. First and foremost, it is important to understand the dynamics of the aircraft and how the various inputs affect its movement. In this case, it seems like you are dealing with both lateral and directional control, so it is important to consider the coupling between yaw and roll.

One approach you can take is to use a combination of heading and bank angle control, as suggested by your professor. This can be achieved through a PID controller, where the heading and bank angle are used as the input and the output is the desired aileron movement. The PID controller will continuously adjust the aileron movement based on the error between the desired and actual heading and bank angle.

Another approach you can consider is using a coordinated turn strategy, where the roll and yaw inputs are coordinated to ensure the aircraft maintains a constant altitude. This can be achieved through a coordinated turn rate controller, where the desired roll and yaw rates are calculated based on the aircraft's current position and desired waypoint.

Whichever approach you choose, it is important to thoroughly test and fine-tune your control system in Simulink to ensure it is accurately controlling the aircraft's movement. Additionally, considering the limitations and capabilities of your UAV is crucial in designing an effective control system. I hope this helps and good luck with your project!