Intelligent flight control systems

The capabilities of flight control systems can be enhanced by designing them to emulate functions of natural intelligence. Intelligent control functions fall in three categories. Declarative actions involve decision-making, providing models for system monitoring, goal planning, and system/scenario identification. Procedural actions concern skilled behavior and have parallels in guidance, navigation, and adaptation. Reflexive actions are spontaneous, inner-loop responses for control and estimation. Intelligent flight control systems learn knowledge of the aircraft and its mission and adapt to changes in the flight environment. Cognitive models form an efficient basis for integrating 'outer-loop/inner-loop' control functions and for developing robust parallel-processing algorithms

Joint University Program for Air Transportation Research, 1991-1992

This report summarizes the research conducted during the academic year 1991-1992 under the FAA/NASA sponsored Joint University Program for Air Transportation Research. The year end review was held at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, June 18-19, 1992. The Joint University Program is a coordinated set of three grants sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA Langley Research Center, one each with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (NGL-22-009-640), Ohio University (NGR-36-009-017), and Princeton University (NGL-31-001-252). Completed works, status reports, and annotated bibliographies are presented for research topics, which include navigation, guidance and control theory and practice, intelligent flight control, flight dynamics, human factors, and air traffic control processes. An overview of the year's activities for each university is also presented

Technology for large space systems: A bibliography with indexes (supplement 16)

This bibliography lists 673 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between July 1, 1986 and December 31, 1986. Its purpose is to provide helpful information to the researcher, manager, and designer in technology development and mission design according to system interactive analysis and design, structural and thermal analysis and design, structural concepts and control systems, electronics, advanced materials, assembly concepts, propulsion, and solar power satellite systems

SCADA and related technologies for irrigation district modernization

Presented at SCADA and related technologies for irrigation district modernization: a USCID water management conference on October 26-29, 2005 in Vancouver, Washington.Includes bibliographical references.Overview of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) -- Total Channel Control™ - The value of automation in irrigation distribution systems -- Design and implementation of an irrigation canal SCADA -- All American Canal Monitoring Project -- Taking closed piping flowmeters to the next level - new technologies support trends in data logging and SCADA systems -- Real-time model-based dam automation: a case study of the Piute Dam -- Effective implementation of algorithm theory into PLCs -- Optimal fuzzy control for canal control structures -- SCADA over Zigbee™ -- Synchronous radio modem technology for affordable irrigation SCADA systems -- A suggested criteria for the selection of RTUs and sensors -- Irrigation canals in Spain: the integral process of modernization -- Ten years of SCADA data quality control and utilization for system management and planning modernization -- Moderately priced SCADA implementation -- Increasing peak power generation using SCADA and automation: a case study of the Kaweah River Power Authority -- Eastern Irrigation District canal automation and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) -- Case study on design and construction of a regulating reservoir pumping station -- Saving water with Total Channel Control® in the Macalister Irrigation District, Australia -- Leveraging SCADA to modernize operations in the Klamath Irrigation Project -- A 2005 update on the installation of a VFD/SCADA system at Sutter Mutual Water Company -- Truckee Carson Irrigation District Turnout Water Measurement Program -- The myth of a "Turnkey" SCADA system and other lessons learned -- Canal modernization in Central California Irrigation District - case study -- Remote monitoring and operation at the Colorado River Irrigation District -- Web-based GIS decision support system for irrigation districts -- Using RiverWare as a real time river systems management tool -- Submerged venturi flume -- Ochoco Irrigation District telemetry case study -- Uinta Basin Replacement Project: a SCADA case study in managing multiple interests and adapting to loss of storage -- Training SCADA operators with real-time simulation -- Demonstration of gate control with SCADA system in Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Texas -- Incorporating sharp-crested weirs into irrigation SCADA systems

Holistic Control for Cyber-Physical Systems

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are transforming industries through emerging technologies such as wireless networks, edge computing, and machine learning. However, IIoT technologies are not ready for control systems for industrial automation that demands control performance of physical processes, resiliency to both cyber and physical disturbances, and energy efficiency. To meet the challenges of IIoT-driven control, we propose holistic control as a cyber-physical system (CPS) approach to next-generation industrial automation systems. In contrast to traditional industrial automation systems where computing, communication, and control are managed in isolation, holistic control orchestrates the management of cyber platforms (networks and computing platforms) and physical plant control at run-time in an integrated architecture. Specifically, this dissertation research comprises the following primary components. Holistic wireless control: The core of holistic wireless control is a holistic controller comprising a plant controller and a network controller cooperating with each other. At run-time the holistic controller generates (1) control commands to the physical plant and (2) network reconfiguration commands to wireless networks based on both physical and network states. This part of dissertation research focused on the design and evaluation of holistic controllers exploiting a range of network reconfiguration strategies: (1) adapting transmission redundancy, (2) adapting sampling rates, (3) self-triggered control, and (4) dynamic transmission scheduling. Furthermore, we develop novel network reconfiguration protocols (NRP) as actuators to control network configurations in holistic control. Holistic edge control: This part of dissertation research explores edge computing as a multitier computing platform for holistic control. The proposed switching multi-tier control (SMC) dynamically switches controllers located on different computation platforms, thereby exploiting the trade-off between computation and communication in a multi-tier computing platform. We also design the stability switch between local and edge controllers under information loss from another perspective, based on co-design of edge and local controllers that are designed via a joint Lyapunov function. Real-time wireless cyber-physical simulators: To evaluate holistic control, we extend the Wireless Cyber-Physical Simulator (WCPS) to integrate simulated physical plants (in Simulink) with real wireless networks (WCPS-RT) and edge computing platforms (WCPS-EC). The real-time WCPS provides a holistic environment for CPS simulations that incorporate wireless dynamics that are challenging to simulate accurately, explore the impacts and trade-off of computation and communication of multi-tier platforms, and leverage simulation support for controllers and plants

Aerial Vehicles

This book contains 35 chapters written by experts in developing techniques for making aerial vehicles more intelligent, more reliable, more flexible in use, and safer in operation.It will also serve as an inspiration for further improvement of the design and application of aeral vehicles. The advanced techniques and research described here may also be applicable to other high-tech areas such as robotics, avionics, vetronics, and space

Optimal Control of Multiple Quadrotors for Transporting a Cable Suspended Payload

In this thesis, the main aim is to improve the flight control performance for a cable suspended payload with single and two quadrotors based on optimised control techniques. The study utilised optimal controllers, such as the Linear Quadratic Regulator LQR, the Iterative based LQR (ILQR), the Model Predictive Control MPC and the dynamic game controller to solve tracking control problems in terms of stabilisation, accuracy, constraints and collision avoidance. The LQR control was applied to the system as the first control method and compared with the classical Proportional-Derivative controller PD. It was used to achieve the load path tracking performance for single and two quadrotors with a cable slung load. The second controller was ILQR, which was developed based on the LQR control method to deal with the model nonlinearity. The MPC technique was also applied to the linearised nonlinear model LMPC of two quadrotors with a payload suspended by cables and compared with a nonlinear MPC (NMPC). Both MPC controllers LMPC and NMPC considered the constraints imposed on the system states and control inputs. The dynamic game control method was developed based on an incentive strategy for a leader-follower framework with the consideration of different optimal cost functions. It was applied to the linearised nonlinear model. Selecting these control techniques led to a number of achievements. Firstly, they improved the system performance in terms of achieving the system stability and reducing the steady-state errors. Secondly, the system parameter uncertainties were taken into consideration by utilising the ILQR controller. Thirdly, the MPC controllers guaranteed the handling of constraints and external disturbances in linear and nonlinear systems. Finally, avoiding collision between the leader and follower robots was achieved by applying the dynamic game controller. The controllers were tested in MATLAB simulation and verified for various desired predefined trajectories. In real experiments, these controllers were used as high-level controllers, which produce the optimised trajectory points. Then a low-level controller (PD controller) was used to follow the optimised trajectory points

Technology for large space systems: A bibliography with indexes (supplement 20)

This bibliography lists 694 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System between July, 1988 and December, 1988. Its purpose is to provide helpful information to the researcher or manager engaged in the development of technologies related to large space systems. Subject areas include mission and program definition, design techniques, structural and thermal analysis, structural dynamics and control systems, electronics, advanced materials, assembly concepts, and propulsion