Preliminary control law and hardware designs for a ride quality augmentation system for commuter aircraft. Phase 2

The continued investigation of the design of Ride Quality Augmentation Systems (RQAS) for commuter aircraft is described. The purpose of these RQAS is the reduction of the vertical and lateral acceleration response of the aircraft due to atmospheric turbulence by the application of active control. The current investigations include the refinement of the sample data feedback control laws based on the control-rate-weighting and output-weighting optimal control design techniqes. These control designs were evaluated using aircraft time simulations driven by Dryden spectra turbulence. Fixed gain controllers were tested throughout the aircrft operating envelope. The preliminary design of the hardware modifications necessary to implement and test the RQAS on a commuter aircraft is included. These include a separate surface elevator and the flap modifications to provide both direct lift and roll control. A preliminary failure mode investigation was made for the proposed configuration. The results indicate that vertical acceleration reductions of 45% and lateral reductions of more than 50% are possible. A fixed gain controller appears to be feasible with only minor response degradation

Learning from experiences with automation in aeronautics

Automation systems have a long history in aviation and a wealth of experience is available regarding its use. In this paper some of the lessons learned with automation in aviation are presented and it is examined, what benefit can be derived from this knowledge for the development of driver assistance systems. The most promising development in aviation is the cognitive system approach, which focuses on the needs of the human operator rather than what is feasible from a technical point of view