Trajectory tracking control for underactuated stratospheric airship

Stratospheric airship is a new kind of aerospace system which has attracted worldwide developing interests for its broad application prospects. Based on the trajectory linearization control (TLC) theory, a novel trajectory tracking control method for an underactuated stratospheric airship is presented in this paper. Firstly, the TLC theory is described sketchily, and the dynamic model of the stratospheric airship is introduced with kinematics and dynamics equations. Then, the trajectory tracking control strategy is deduced in detail. The designed control system possesses a cascaded structure which consists of desired attitude calculation, position control loop and attitude control loop. Two sub-loops are designed for the position and attitude control loops, respectively, including the kinematics control loop and dynamics control loop. Stability analysis shows that the controlled closed-loop system is exponentially stable. Finally, simulation results for the stratospheric airship to track typical trajectories are illustrated to verify effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Station-keeping control for a stratospheric airship platform via fuzzy adaptive backstepping approach

This paper presents a novel approach for station-keeping control of a stratospheric airship platform in the presence of parametric uncertainty and external disturbance. First, conceptual design of the stratospheric airship platform is introduced, including the target mission, configuration, energy sources, propeller and payload. Second, the dynamics model of the airship platform is presented, and the mathematical model of its horizontal motion is derived. Third, a fuzzy adaptive backstepping control approach is proposed to develop the station-keeping control system for the simplified horizontal motion. The backstepping controller is designed assuming that the airship model is accurately known, and a fuzzy adaptive algorithm is used to approximate the uncertainty of the airship model. The stability of the closed-loop control system is proven via the Lyapunov theorem. Finally, simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control approach.     

Ascent trajectory optimization for stratospheric airship with thermal effects

Ascent trajectory optimization with thermal effects is addressed for a stratospheric airship. Basic thermal characteristics of the stratospheric airship are introduced. Besides, the airship’s equations of motion are constructed by including the factors about aerodynamic force, added mass and wind profiles which are developed based on horizontal-wind model. For both minimum-time and minimum-energy flights during ascent, the trajectory optimization problem is described with the path and terminal constraints in different scenarios and then, is converted into a parameter optimization problem by a direct collocation method. Sparse Nonlinear OPTimizer(SNOPT) is employed as a nonlinear programming solver and two scenarios are adopted. The solutions obtained illustrate that the trajectories are greatly affected by the thermal behaviors which prolong the daytime minimum-time flights of about 20.8% compared with that of nighttime in scenario 1 and of about 10.5% in scenario 2. And there is the same trend for minimum-energy flights. For the energy consumption of minimum-time flights, 6% decrease is abstained in scenario 1 and 5% decrease in scenario 2. However, a few energy consumption reduction is achieved for minimum-energy flights. Solar radiation is the principal component and the natural wind also affects the thermal behaviors of stratospheric airship during ascent. The relationship between take-off time and performance of airship during ascent is discussed. it is found that the take-off time at dusk is best choice for stratospheric airship. And in addition, for saving energy, airship prefers to fly downwind.     

Effect of vapor condensation on ascending performance of stratospheric airship

This paper reports a numerical investigation on the effects of water vapor condensing inside the air bag of a stratospheric airship on its ascending performance. The kinetic and thermal model considering vapor condensation was established, based on which a computer program was written in Fortran. The simulation results show that the vapor condensation remarkably affects the kinetic and thermal characteristics of the stratospheric airship in the ascent process. During the ascent process below 11 km, a large amount of latent heat is released when the water vapor in the air inside the air bag of the stratospheric airship condenses, which results in the increase of the temperature and the reduction of the weight of the air in the air bag, causing the airship to speed up, the accelerated expansion of the helium, and the decrease of the helium temperature in the helium bag. When the flight altitude is higher than 11 km, the effect of vapor condensation on the kinetic and thermal characteristics of the stratospheric airship is negligible because vapor is virtually nonexistent in the air.     

基于压差梯度的平流层飞艇艇囊应力计算和仿真

平流层飞艇体积庞大,艇囊表面曲率小,因而蒙皮材料的局部应力集中极易导致飞艇艇囊蒙皮发生过大变形而迅速超压损伤破坏.基于飞艇艇囊内外压力压差梯度载荷条件,建立飞艇艇囊蒙皮受内外压差真实工况下环向与轴向应力的理论计算模型,构建飞艇蒙皮应力分析的Von Mises强度准则.并采用ABAQUS有限元软件非线性仿真艇囊蒙皮分别在超压300,500,800 Pa载荷下的各点环向的Von Mises应力状况.仿真结果与理论模型计算的应力值基本保持一致,飞艇艇囊蒙皮环向Von Mises应力呈现随压差梯度增大而递增的规律,而轴向Von Mises应力大小由环向Von Mises应力、蒙皮局部经纬向曲率共同决定,且两方向的Von Mises应力均与超压载荷大小成正相关关系,为飞艇艇囊蒙皮超压应力评估和强度计算提供基础性研究.     

A general calculation method to specify center-of-buoyancy for the stratospheric airship with multiple gas cells

As the lighter-than-air (LTA) flight vehicle, the stratospheric airship is a desirable platform to provide communication and surveillance services. During the ascent from sea-level to the mission altitude, the volume of the lifting gas may change significantly, which will result in the change of the center-of-buoyancy (CB). A general calculation method is developed to specify CB for the stratospheric airship with a double-ellipsoid hull and an arbitrary number of the gas cells. The cross-section-integral (CSI) method is used as a basic calculation scenario to specify CB. Considering the complexity in determining the boundary between the helium and air in the gas cell, a searching algorithm is put forward and the specification of CB can be conducted by the iterative calculation. As an important application, the stable condition of the pitch angle is analyzed when the change of CB is involved. Under different initial configurations, the stable pitch angle of the stratospheric airship during the ascent is specified and compared, which shows the advantages of the multi-gas-cell configuration. The results of this paper may provide an important reference for the engineering application of the stratospheric airship.     

Backstepping sliding-mode control of stratospheric airships using disturbance-observer

In the presence of unknown disturbances and model parameter uncertainties, this paper develop a nonlinear backstepping sliding-mode controller (BSMC) for trajectory tracking control of a stratospheric airship using a disturbance-observer (DO). Compared with the conventional sliding mode surface (SMS) constructed by a linear combination of the errors, the new SMS manifold is selected as the last back-step error to improve independence of the adjustment of the controller gains. Furthermore, a nonlinear disturbance-observer is designed to process unknown disturbance inputs and improve the BSMC performances. The closed-loop system of trajectory tracking control plant is proved to be globally asymptotically stable by using Lyapunov theory. By comparing with traditional backstepping control and SMC design, the results obtained demonstrate the capacity of the airship to execute a realistic trajectory tracking mission, even in the presence of unknown disturbances, and aerodynamic coefficient uncertainties.     

PEGASO: An ultra light long duration stratospheric payload for polar regions flights

Stratospheric balloons are powerful and affordable tools for a wide spectrum of scientific investigations that are carried out at the stratosphere level. They are less expensive compared to satellite projects and have the capability to lift payloads from a few kilograms to a couple of tons or more, well above the troposphere, for more than a month. Another interesting feature of these balloons, which is not viable in satellites, is the short turnaround time, which enables frequent flights.     

The yaw stability analysis for stratospheric airships in float situation

When a stratospheric airship free floats at pressure altitude, the sideslip angle of the airship is neither random nor against the wind, but is stable on certain values. According to classical potential flow theory, a simplified two-dimensional ellipse and three-dimensional ellipsoid are firstly analyzed respectively, which implied that the airship could present crosswind orientation. The numerical investigations (CFD) on the yaw stability based on a bare hull and a finned airship are employed for verifying the theory conclusion. It is found that the finned airships can remain stable when its sideslip Angle is 55–70°, which is less than 90° of the stable angle of the ellipsoid and bare hull, but statically unstable at low sideslip angles, its static instability is similar to that of dynamic flight. Then the fight data of three stratospheric airships is analyzed. The yaw stability in flight data generally agrees with expectations drawn of theoretical and numerical simulation. These investigations serve to provide references for yaw control and configuration design of airships.     

Analysis of long-endurance station-keeping flight scenarios for stratospheric airships in the presence of thermal effects

The ability to achieve long-endurance station-keeping flights makes stratospheric airships desirable platforms for the provision of communication and surveillance services. To maintain long-endurance flights, it is necessary to consider the problem of energy consumption. In this paper, we discuss long-endurance flight scenarios of stratospheric airships in the presence of thermal effects. The balance between buoyancy and gravity is influenced by thermal effects during the diurnal cycle. We perform a theoretical analysis based on the helium’s mass, pressure differential, and altitude as the main factors. To verify the effectiveness of the control over the pressure differential and the altitude, three long-endurance flight scenarios are proposed and compared. Then, the corresponding optimization problems are constructed to determine the energy-minimum flight. Finally, further efforts are made to reduce energy consumption. The realization and limitations of two strategies for improvement are analyzed. A comparison with other scenarios shows the effectiveness of energy conservation. The study in this paper thus provides a reference for station-keeping applications of stratospheric airships.     

不确定切换系统的鲁棒自适应控制方案

针对切换信号依赖于独立决策变量的不确定切换系统,基于多Lyapunov函数方法和模型参考自适应控制理论,提出并分析一种控制器具有非线性死区特征的鲁棒自适应切换控制方案.首先,由参考切换系统和自适应控制律集合建立闭环切换系统,而后构造Lure-Postnikov形式的多Lyapunov函数,并以一组线性矩阵不等式推导给出闭环切换系统为有界模型参考自适应控制系统的充分条件.最后,选择HiMAT(Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology)飞行器包线内的5个工作点,以其纵向短周期运动模型建立切换系统,并设计具有非线性死区特征的鲁棒自适应控制器.仿真验证了方案的有效性,结果表明系统在快速连续切换下可良好地跟踪期望轨迹.     

基于动态逆的高超声速飞行器鲁棒自适应控制

针对高超声速飞行器运动学模型具有高度非线性、多变量耦合及参数不确定等特点,提出了一种基于非线性动态逆的控制系统鲁棒自适应控制器设计方法.该方法将飞行器的运动方程分成速度子系统和高度子系统,利用控制输入的功能分配,并结合虚拟控制指令设计与非线性动态逆技术,实现速度和高度的稳定跟踪.为消除系统中模型不确定性和外界干扰的影响,采用鲁棒自适应滑模控制策略进行补偿.仿真结果表明:所提出的控制器设计方法不仅满足飞行器速度与高度跟踪性能的要求,且对模型不确定性和外干扰具有一定的鲁棒性.      

某飞艇纵向气动估算及试验验证

针对某一具体的飞艇,在缺少风洞吹风数据的情况下,利用现有气动力手册中的工程估算公式,对飞艇作了气动力估算;采用飞艇的小扰动线化方程,进行本体特性分析.飞艇的小扰动线化方程从低速飞机的线化小扰动方程获得.在Matlab软件中的simulink工具箱中,进行了PID控制律的数字仿真;通过反复迭代循环,观察系统的时域响应,根据最后的响应结果,设计了其定高飞行的控制律;最后进行了真实的飞行试验.试验完成了飞艇自主远距离往返飞行,共飞行时间达20?min,指令飞行高度为300?m.将试验和理论结果进行比较,吻合较好,表明高度控制律设计合理,气动估算可行,有实用价值.     

Command filtered sliding mode trajectory tracking control for unmanned airships based on RBFNN approximation

This paper presents two sliding mode controllers to address the trajectory tracking problem of unmanned airships in the presence of unknown wind disturbance. The sliding mode controller proposed first is designed by a fast power rate reaching law(FPRRL). The disturbance is compensated by a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN). To avoid the aggressive adaptation, the controller is augmented by a command filter. The controller provides good robustness and tracking performance with no chattering under the hypothesis of ideal wind field. However, serious chattering occurs when simulation is performed under discontinuous wind field. To simulate the wind in practice, the wind field employed in the simulation is generated by the combination of a constant field and white noise. The controller is improved subsequently with an extended model to suppress the chattering induced by the white noise. The enhanced controller manipulates the derivation of system input, thus attenuating the chattering. Stability analysis shows that both controllers drive the tracking error into a controllable small region near zero. Simulations are provided to validate the performance of the proposed controllers under different wind hypothesis.     

一种非线性鲁棒PID控制器设计方法

针对一类非线性不确定系统,提出了一种基于PID(比例-积分-微分)控制的鲁棒控制方法.整个控制器由PID控制器和一个鲁棒补偿器构成.首先,基于系统的标称模型设计PID控制器;然后在PID控制的基础上,设计一个辅助鲁棒补偿器,用于补偿系统非线性、参数摄动和外界扰动等对系统控制性能的影响.补偿器的设计基于李雅普诺夫(Lyapunov)稳定性理论进行,从而保证了闭环系统的鲁棒稳定.采用该方法对倒立摆跟踪问题进行了仿真控制,仿真结果验证了设计方案的有效性.     

某型固定翼飞机协调转弯鲁棒控制律设计

以某型固定翼飞机为例,针对协调转弯时侧滑过大的现象,采用了鲁棒H_∞状态反馈控制与常规PID(Proportion Integration Differentiation)相结合的控制方法设计控制律结构.基于固定翼飞机线性化模型,研究了H_∞状态反馈在横侧向控制律设计中的应用,并分析了滚转角和飞机速度对转弯半径的影响.仿真结果表明所设计的控制律可行有效,同时验证了对影响转弯半径因素理论分析的正确性.      

基于定量反馈理论的飞行仿真转台鲁棒控制

采用定量反馈理论,可以设计具有参数不确定性的飞行仿真转台的鲁棒控制系统.分析和总结了定量反馈理论的基本原理和设计过程.采用QFT设计了某型飞行仿真转台的反馈控制器和前置滤波器,组成了转台的控制系统.实验结果表明,当转台的负载发生变化时,系统仍然能够保持良好的跟踪性能.这证明了系统的鲁棒性.此外,与PID控制的对比表明,QFT控制能够克服摩擦非线性,具有良好的抗干扰性能.QFT在飞行仿真转台上的成功应用说明了该方法具有工程实用价值.      

一种抑制扰动的轴向磁轴承鲁棒控制新方法

从鲁棒稳定性和抑制扰动的动态性能角度,分析了干扰观测器应用到轴向磁轴承时其有效带宽较低的问题,指出磁轴承易受到低频干扰并提出了一种抑制扰动鲁棒控制方法.基于动态分析建立了轴向磁轴承的名义模型,并设计了内环控制的干扰观测器,采用标准H∞问题的方法设计抑制扰动鲁棒控制器作为外环控制.仿真分析与实验说明了该方法能够提高干扰观测器的带宽,同时,实验验证了对于系统参数不确定性具有较强的鲁棒性能,对比单一的控制方法具有良好的抑制扰动能力.     

一类非线性系统的鲁棒拟人智能控制

针对一类非线性不确定系统,结合二级倒立摆控制系统设计作为实例,提出一种鲁棒拟人智能控制器设计方法.首先,基于被控对象的物理模型设计拟人定性控制律,采用优化搜索算法得到标称系统的定量控制律;然后在拟人控制律基础上增加一个鲁棒补偿器,用以抑制模型不确定性部分对系统稳定的不利影响、提高系统的鲁棒性.补偿器的设计根据Lyapunov稳定性理论进行,但设计过程中避免了构造具体的Lyapunov函数这一难题.对二级倒立摆系统的稳定控制问题进行了实验验证,实验结果进一步证明了设计方案的有效性.