Model predictive control for close-proximity maneuvering of spacecraft with adaptive convexification of collision avoidance constraints

This study investigated model predictive control (MPC) for close-proximity maneuvering of spacecraft. It is essential for a designed MPC to effectively handle collision avoidance between the servicer spacecraft and the client spacecraft, especially while the client is rotating. The rotating motion of the client leads to dynamic changes in the collision avoidance constraints, which increases the difficulty of optimizing the control input in the MPC framework. Therefore, this study presents a method to improve the performance and computational efficiency of MPC for rendezvous and docking with a nonrotating or rotating client. An ellipsoid is adopted to model the client’s keep-out zone (KOZ). Given the spherical KOZ of the servicer, an expanded ellipsoid is introduced to describe the KOZ for the center of mass of the servicer and modeled as a nonlinear constraint. The linearization method for reference points located at the expanded ellipsoid is adopted to convexify the nonlinear constraints. The reference points are adaptively determined according to the positions of the servicer, client, and expanded ellipsoidal KOZ. The resulting hyperplanes are then used to describe the collision avoidance constraints. By utilizing the aforementioned strategies, combined with the calculated reference points, an adaptive convex programming algorithm suitable for real-time implementation of MPC is derived. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerical simulations.     

Installation error calibration for MEMS angular measurement system in hypersonic wind tunnel

The accuracy of model attitude measurement has an important impact on wind tunnel test results. Microelectromechanical System Inertial Measurement Unit (MEMS IMU) provides a feasible way to measure model attitudes with high accuracy. However, the installation error between MEMS IMU coordinate system and the body coordinate system of test models can make the accuracy of the model attitude measurement decrease. In wind tunnel tests, the installation error depends on the relationship between the IMU and the model mechanism before tests. Therefore, in-field calibration in wind tunnel tests is necessary to reduce installation errors. To improve attitude measurement accuracy, the least squares quaternion calibration method based on MEMS IMU and six-position calibration procedure are proposed. High-precision three-axis turntable tests are performed. The pitch accuracy after calibration is higher than that before calibration in the angle of attack sweeping tests. The Root-Mean-Square Errors (RMSE) in the roll and yaw are within 0.01°, which are smaller than those before calibration. In the roll sweeping tests, RMSE of three attitude angles decrease significantly. In hypersonic wind tunnel tests, the pitch errors before and after calibration are within 0.05° and 0.02° in the angle of attack sweeping tests without wind. In five angle of attack sweeping tests with wind, the deviation between the mean of the pitch and the pitch after the elastic angle correction is within 0.03° and the standard deviation of five tests is within 0.01°. The proposed method is confirmed to enhance the accuracy of attitude measurement effectively, which is convenient for engineering applications.     

一种基于模型预测的火星返回推力器容错控制再分配方法

针对火星返回上升器由于环境等因素造成的推力器故障导致的姿态控制系统失稳而难以安全返回的严重问题，提出基于模型预测的动态容错控制再分配方法。根据推力器动态特性建立上升器推力分配模型，对模型参数误差进行实时估计从而修正分配模型，根据模型预测自适应推力再分配方法实施容错控制。同时，将推力器输出限制作为优化求解器的约束，并将推力器故障模型作为优化求解的约束域，实现最小化分配误差和最小化燃料消耗意义下的最优推力再分配。计算机仿真表明了该方法的可行性和实用性，获得了满意的结果，它能使推力器输出推力误差降低60%以上，姿态控制系统能在故障状态下3～5 s快速镇定。     

Wide-range model predictive control for aero-engine transient state

To perform transient state control of an aero-engine, a structure that combines linear controller and min–max selector is widely adopted, which is inherently conservative and therefore limits the fulfillment of the engine potential. Model predictive control is a new control method that has vast application prospects in the field of aero-engine control. Therefore, this paper proposes a wide-range model predictive controller that can control the engine over a wide range within the flight envelope....     

A high-safety active/passive hybrid control approach for compressor surge based on nonlinear model predictive control

Surge active control can expand the stable operating range of the compressor. However, the difficulty of flow measurement, dynamic uncertainty disturbance, actuator delay characteristics, hard constraints of control variable, and system security measures have not been fully considered in the existing active control system, which significantly hinders its engineering application. Therefore, a nonlinear model predictive surge active control method is first presented based on flow estimator designed by using a continuous-time Kalman filter for dealing with the hard constraint of control variable and the impact of actuator delay of compression system with dynamic uncertainty. Then, a high-safety active/surge passive hybrid control strategy is designed, dominated by the surge active control and supplemented by the surge passive control, to ensure the compression system’s safe and stable operation. Lastly, the simulation results suggest that the flow estimator accurately estimates the compressor flow. When considering the delay impact of the actuators and sensors and measurement noise on the system, the proposed method exhibits stronger robustness than the existing methods. The active/surge passive hybrid control strategy can successfully ensure the compression system's safe and stable operation. This paper is of high practical significance for the engineering application of future compressor surge active control technologies.     

Influence and experiment of cable-net manufacturing errors on surface accuracy of mesh reflector antennas

Cable-net structures are of substantial importance in the construction of large mesh reflector antennas. Owing to the inevitable errors in their manufacturing process, the reflector surface accuracy deteriorates. This study makes a comprehensive investigation of random manufacturing errors during constructing the mesh reflector antennas, and analyze its influence on reflector surface accuracy. Firstly, the sensitivity of reflector surface accuracy with respect to the random errors of the unstressed cable length is mathematically deducted. Secondly, a non-button connecting method is proposed and analyzed to reduce manufacturing errors. Thirdly, two physical experiment models based on 2.62-meter mesh reflector antenna are made. Finally, numerical examples and experimental tests are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared with the traditional method, the proposed method can effectively reduce the influence of the manufacturing errors on the reflector surface accuracy. Moreover, the reduction in the sizes of the nodes also reduces the risk of entanglement of the mesh reflector antenna during the deployment process, and thereby improves the deployment reliability.     

基于模型定义的复合材料旁路挤压试验压缩夹具参数化设计

针对民用飞机复合材料许用值试验开展中需要设计大量构型类似而繁杂的试验夹具,为提高夹具设计的效率和准确性、促进设计的标准化,本文总结了 ASTM标准中复合材料旁路挤压试验的压缩试验夹具构型设计和制造等相关信息,采用包含基于模型的定义(Model Based Definition,MBD)信息的CATIA二次开发方法,提出...     

固定翼无人机编队的启发分布式模型预测控制

针对无人机编队飞行控制中队形保持、路径规划、重构、防撞等多重功能需求,采用启发型分布式模型预测控制框架,将需求转化为多目标优化问题中的代价函数与相容性约束求解,实现了对无人机编队飞行的一体化控制.同时,采用分阶段式的轨迹规划算法,融合模型预测轨迹规划与多项式轨迹规划,利用多项式轨迹系数实现高效的邻居轨迹信息交互,从而增大了模型预测控制的预测范围,并降低了规划控制过程中的计算量与通信量.最后,通过9架无人机的协同避障编队仿真,证明了该方法的有效性.     

Investigation of the planar midlatitude ionospheric trend under different levels of solar activity

A better understanding of the ionosphere through accurate mathematical models is no doubt a crucial element. This study focuses on the challenging problem of building a model representing the complex structure of the midlatitude ionosphere. Previous studies have shown that a regional planar model is suitable in representing the total electron content (TEC) trend in the midlatitude ionosphere in both hemispheres. In this study, the planar trend model for 12 non-overlapping northern hemisphere regions in three groups of geographically near 4 regions is further investigated under different levels of solar activity; low, moderate and high. To that end, the coefficients of the model are estimated in the least squares sense using total electron content values from global ionospheric maps (GIMs) for the years 2009, 2012 and 2014. Subsequently, these coefficients are used to reconstruct estimated TEC maps which are then compared with actual GIM-TEC by investigating their difference in normalized $L_2$ norm squared sense. The regional planar trend model provides a particularly successful representation in the years 2012 and 2014 for which the solar activity level is the dominant factor determining the TEC trend. Under low solar activity conditions of 2009, other factors such as ocean currents, temperature variations and meteorological phenomena are suspected to have a considerable effect in some regions depending on their geographic location and on seasonal trends in those regions. As an example, studies show that under the influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Siberian High (SH), a significant cooling trend between 2004 and 2018 in autumn is observed in Eurasia, which, in conjunction with the low solar activity levels, may be related to the deviations from the actual GIM-TEC in 2009 in these regions. As solar radiation increases, however, such bottom-side forcings are masked in 2012 and 2014 and these deviations are no longer observed.