Member-only story
Introduction to sensor fusion
Many researchers would agree that the first steps into experimental aircraft control analysis are sometimes the hardest because young researchers must close the gap between the theoretical knowledge and the know-to-how on the praxis. The main difficulties in a practical set-up involve determining the required instrumentation, programming suitable communication protocols with the data acquisition system, and calibrating the integrated sensors, as well as the aircraft dynamic modeling prior to the control design. The following presents a brief summary on how to handle the most common technical difficulties faced when taking the first steps into fixed-wing aircraft controls.
Test bench
Test benches are designed to simulate aircraft motion within controlled environments. This should be the first step rather than facing the uncertainties of real-world operation (modeling uncertainties, wind gusts, etc). With this purpose, wind tunnels represent the ideal base for aircraft control test-bench development.
Consider Figure 1 as an example of a wind-tunnel test bench for aircraft controls, the platform allows simulating the pitch dynamics of a fixed-wing aircraft by taking in account the horizontal stabilizer deflection. An important remark is that the pivoting point should always be located near the aircraft’s center of gravity. The deflection of the…
