Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “vehicle controller”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

A unique formulation of elastic airplane longitudinal equations of motion

Control-configured vehicle technology has increased the demand for detailed analysis of dynamic stability and control, handling and ride qualities, and control system dynamics at early stages of preliminary design. An approximate but reasonably accurate set of equations of motion are needed for these early analyses. Such a formulation is developed for the longitudinal dynamics of elastic airplanes. It makes use of only rigid-body aerodynamic stability derivatives in formulating the forces and moments due to elastic motion. Verification of accuracy using data for the B-1 airplane shows very good agreement. Frequencies and damping ratios of the coupled modes corresponding to complex roots of the characteristic equations agree closely with four symmetric elastic modes included.

Swaim, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Prediction of elastic-airplane lateral dynamics from rigid-body aerodynamics

Control-configured vehicle technology has increased the demand for detailed analysis of dynamic stability and control, handling and ride qualities, and control system dynamics at the early stages of preliminary design and development. For these early analyses an approximate, but reasonably accurate, set of equations of motion for elastic airplanes is needed. Such a formulation is developed for the lateral dynamics of elastic airplanes. It makes use of rigid-body aerodynamic stability derivatives and the antisymmetric elastic mode shapes and frequencies in formulating the forces and moments due to elastic motion. Verification of accuracy was made by comparison with B-1 airplane dynamics obtained by other methods. Frequencies and damping ratios of the coupled modes agree acceptably well with four antisymmetric elastic modes included.

Swaim, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Flight experience with manually controlled unconventional aircraft motions

A modified YF-16 aircraft was used to flight demonstrate decoupled modes under the USAF Fighter Control Configured Vehicle (CCV) Program. The direct force capabilities were used to implement seven manually controlled unconventional modes on the aircraft, allowing flat turns, decoupled normal acceleration control, independent longitudinal and lateral translations, uncoupled elevation and azimuth aiming, and blended direct lift. This paper describes the design, development, and flight testing of these control modes. The need for task-tailored mode authorities, gain-scheduling and selected closed-loop design is discussed.

Barfield, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Reference equations of motion for automatic rendezvous and capture

The analysis presented in this paper defines the reference coordinate frames, equations of motion, and control parameters necessary to model the relative motion and attitude of spacecraft in close proximity with another space system during the Automatic Rendezvous and Capture phase of an on-orbit operation. The relative docking port target position vector and the attitude control matrix are defined based upon an arbitrary spacecraft design. These translation and rotation control parameters could be used to drive the error signal input to the vehicle flight control system. Measurements for these control parameters would become the bases for an autopilot or feedback control system (FCS) design for a specific spacecraft.

Henderson, David M.↗
NASA NTRS1961

Free-Flight Investigation of Radio Controlled Models with Parawings

A free-flight investigation of two radio-controlled models with parawings, a glider configuration and an airplane (powered) configuration, was made to evaluate the performance, stability, and methods of controlling parawing vehicles. The flight tests showed that the models were stable and could be controlled either by shifting the center of gravity or by using conventional elevator and rudder control surfaces. Static wind-tunnel force-test data were also obtained.

Hewes, Donald E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Novel Tilting Ducted-Fan Aerial Vehicle Configurations

There has been recent renewed interested in ducted-fan, powered-lift vertical takeoff and landing aircraft vehicles for uninhabited aerial vehicle and urban aerial mobility aerial applications. Early work was conducted in the 1950’s to the late 1980’s into ducted-fan vehicles, especially at the time for military missions. The focus of ducted-fan research began to shift to UAV’s and personal air transportation in the 2000’s. Work in the early 2000’s fostered interest into ducted-fan aerial vehicles for vertical lift planetary aerial vehicle missions, especially for missions to Titan, a moon of Saturn. For example, early work at NASA Ames conducted the first known investigation into oval ducts (with internal tandem fans) to be used for these aerial vehicles. The use of twin oval ducts (with internal tandem fans) allowed the use of quadrotor-style rotor rpm control for vehicle trim (in hover, for transition to high-speed forward flight the addition of a tilt-actuator to pitch the twin oval ducts forward to be aligned with the freestream needed to be added to the control approach. This current study explores open-rotor, single isolated ducted-fan, and full vehicle configuration aerodynamic performance for hover, transition, and cruise regimes for novel tilting ducted-fan aerial vehicle configurations. The objective of this study is to better understand the design aerodynamics trade space for noncircular tilting ducted-fans. The primary analysis tool used in this paper is the mid-fidelity computational fluid dynamics RotCFD tool. Several interesting and largely unexplored rotor-on-rotor (or fan-on-fan), duct-on-rotor, rotor- on-duct, and duct-on-airframe are examined in this paper. Many of these aerodynamic interactions are the key to overall aerial vehicle performance. Limited parametric sweeps of rotor-to-rotor spacing (and, therefore, sizing and shape of the enveloping ducts) for the various duct configurations will also be performed. The trade-offs between duct thrust augmentation in hover versus improved transition controllability versus improved cruise L/D will be discussed for various novel duct configurations. These ducted-fan configurations include oval ducts, ‘figure-eight’ ducts, and ‘B-shaped’ ducts, among others.

Ducted-Fan↗
NASA NTRS1971

Development of control systems for space shuttle vehicles. Volume 2: Appendixes

A launch phase random normal wind model is presented for delta wing, two-stage, space shuttle control system studies. Equations, data, and simulations for conventional launch studies are given as well as pitch and lateral equations and data for covariance analyses of the launch phase of MSFC vehicle B. Lateral equations and data for North American 130G and 134D are also included along with a high-altitude abort simulation.

Stone, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

An Entry Flight Controls Analysis for a Reusable Launch Vehicle

The NASA Langley Research Center has been performing studies to address the feasibility of various single-stage to orbit concepts for use by NASA and the commercial launch industry to provide a lower cost access to space. Some work on the conceptual design of a typical lifting body concept vehicle, designated VentureStar(sup TM) has been conducted in cooperation with the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. This paper will address the results of a preliminary flight controls assessment of this vehicle concept during the atmospheric entry phase of flight. The work includes control analysis from hypersonic flight at the atmospheric entry through supersonic speeds to final approach and landing at subsonic conditions. The requirements of the flight control effectors are determined over the full range of entry vehicle Mach number conditions. The analysis was performed for a typical maximum crossrange entry trajectory utilizing angle of attack to limit entry heating and providing for energy management, and bank angle to modulation of the lift vector to provide downrange and crossrange capability to fly the vehicle to a specified landing site. Sensitivity of the vehicle open and closed loop characteristics to CG location, control surface mixing strategy and wind gusts are included in the results. An alternative control surface mixing strategy utilizing a reverse aileron technique demonstrated a significant reduction in RCS torque and fuel required to perform bank maneuvers during entry. The results of the control analysis revealed challenges for an early vehicle configuration in the areas of hypersonic pitch trim and subsonic longitudinal controllability.

Calhoun, Philip↗
NASA NTRS1990

Flight control issues of the next generation space transportation launch vehicles

Some of the issues that affect the flight control and guidance system designs for vertical-takeoff and horizontal-takeoff vehicles were investigated. A two-stage all-rocket vehicle was used to represent the vertical-takeoff system and a generic aerospace plane concept to represent the horizontal-takeoff vehicle. Two flight control issues for the vertical-takeoff rocket were uncovered. The first was the large gimbal angle range required for pitch trim when using parallel mated vehicles. The second was control during staging. Two issues were also identified for the air-breathing vehicle. The first is that the drag losses due to aerodynamic trim are a significant fraction of the total ideal velocity required to achieve orbit. The second issue is that since the vehicle flies at high dynamic pressure for most of the ascent, the guidance system design will be more difficult to ensure accurate insertion than that for the vertical-takeoff rocket system.

Powell, Richard W.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Operator Informational Needs for Multiple Autonomous Small Vehicles

With the anticipated explosion of small unmanned aerial vehicles, it is highly likely that operators will be controlling fleets of autonomous vehicles. To fulfill the promise of autonomy, vehicle operators will not be concerned with manual control of the vehicle; instead, they will deal with the overall mission. Furthermore, the one operator to many vehicles is becoming a constant meme with various industries including package delivery, search and rescue, and utility companies. In order for an operator to concurrently control several vehicles, his station must look and behave very differently than the current ground control station instantiations. Furthermore, the vehicle will have to be much more autonomous, especially during non-normal operations, in order to accommodate the knowledge deficit or the information overload of the operator in charge of several vehicles. The expected usage increase of small drones requires presenting the operational information generated by a fleet of heterogeneous autonomous agents to an operator. NASA Langley Research Center's Autonomy Incubator has brought together researchers in various disciplines including controls, trajectory planning, systems engineering, and human factors to develop an integrated system to study autonomy issues. The initial human factors effort is focusing on mission displays that would give an operator the overall status of all autonomous agents involved in the current mission. This paper will discuss the specifics of the mission displays for operators controlling several vehicles.

Trujillo, Anna C.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Autocommander: A Supervisory Controller for Integrated Guidance and Control for the 2nd Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle

This paper presents a hierarchical architecture for integrated guidance and control that achieves risk and cost reduction for NASA's 2d generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV). Guidance, attitude control, and control allocation subsystems that heretofore operated independently will now work cooperatively under the coordination of a top-level autocommander. In addition to delivering improved performance from a flight mechanics perspective, the autocommander is intended to provide an autonomous supervisory control capability for traditional mission management under nominal conditions, G&C reconfiguration in response to effector saturation, and abort mode decision-making upon vehicle malfunction. This high-level functionality is to be implemented through the development of a relational database that is populated with the broad range of vehicle and mission specific data and translated into a discrete event system model for analysis, simulation, and onboard implementation. A Stateflow Autocoder software tool that translates the database into the Stateflow component of a Matlab/Simulink simulation is also presented.

Fisher, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1970

Guidance and control

Wind effects on rigid launch vehicle guidance and control system design, using model incorporating structural bending and fuel sloshing

Blair, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Potential benefits of propulsion and flight control integration for supersonic cruise vehicles

Typical airframe/propulsion interactions such as Mach/altitude excursions and inlet unstarts are reviewed. The improvements in airplane performance and flight control that can be achieved by improving the interfaces between propulsion and flight control are estimated. A research program to determine the feasibility of integrating propulsion and flight control is described. This program includes analytical studies and YF-12 flight tests.

Berry, D. T.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Feasibility study of modern airships, phase 2. Volume 1: Heavy lift airship vehicle. Book 1: Overall study results

A Heavy Lift Airship combining buoyant lift derived from a conventional helium-filled non-rigid airship hull with propulsive lift derived from conventional helicopter rotors was investigated. The buoyant lift essentially offsets the empty weight of the vehicle; thus the rotor thrust is available for useful load and to maneuver and control the vehicle. Such a vehicle is capable of providing a quantum increase in current vertical lifting capability. Certain critical deficiencies of past airships are significantly minimized or eliminated.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2000

Evaluation of Mars Entry Reconstructured Trajectories Based on Hypothetical 'Quick-Look' Entry Navigation Data

A first order simulation analysis of the navigation accuracy expected from various Navigation Quick-Look data sets is performed. Here quick-look navigation data are observations obtained by hypothetical telemetried data transmitted on the fly during a Mars probe's atmospheric entry. In this simulation study, navigation data consists of 3-axis accelerometer sensor and attitude information data. Three entry vehicle guidance types are studied: I. a Maneuvering entry vehicle (as with Mars 01 guidance where angle of attack and bank angle are controlled); II. Zero angle-of-attack controlled entry vehicle (as with Mars 98); and III. Ballistic, or spin stabilized entry vehicle (as with Mars Pathfinder);. For each type, sensitivity to progressively under sampled navigation data and inclusion of sensor errors are characterized. Attempts to mitigate the reconstructed trajectory errors, including smoothing, interpolation and changing integrator characteristics are also studied.

Pastor, P. Rick↗
NASA NTRS1998

Evaluation of Aeroservoelastic Effects on Flutter

The HSCT Flight Controls Group is developing a longitudinal control law, known as Gamma-dot / V, for the NASA HSR program. Currently, this control law is based on a quasi-steady aeroelastic (QSAE) model of the vehicle. This control law was implemented into the p-k flutter analysis process for closed loop aeroservoelastic analysis. The available flexible models, developed for the TCA aeroelastic analysis, were used to assess the effect of control laws on flutter at several different Mach numbers and mass conditions. Significant structures and flight control system interaction was observed during the initial assessment. Figures 1 and 2 present a summary of the effect of total closed loop gain and phase on flutter mechanisms, based on ideal sensors and real sensors, for Mach 0.95 and mass M02 condition. Control laws based on ideal sensors gave rise to increased coupling between the rigid body short period mode and the first symmetric elastic mode. This reduced the stability margins for the first elastic mode and does not meet the required 6 dB gain margin requirement. The effect of "real" sensors significantly increased the structures and control system interactions. This caused the elastic,modes to be highly unstable throughout most of the flight envelope. State-space models were developed for several conditions and then MATLAB program was used for the aeroservoelastic stability analysis. These results provided an independent verification of the p-k flutter analysis findings. Good overall agreement was observed between the p-k flutter analysis and state-space model results for both damping and frequency comparisons. These results are also included in this document.

Nagaraja, K. S.↗