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At least 181 records · Page 10

Control of Rate-Bounded Hybrid Systems with Liveness Specifications

In the present paper we examine the control problem for a class of composite hybrid machines (CHMs) that consist of concurrent operation (employing synchronous composition) of elementary hybrid machines (EHMs), that allows both signal sharing and event synchronization. A controller can then be coupled with the plant by means of synchronous composition. We confine our attention to controllers that interact with the system only through event synchronization. We present an initial investigation of synthesis of liveness controllers for hybrid machines. To this end we define open hybrid machines as systems that can interact with the environment through event synchronization and can be therefor be "driven" to their marked configuration by user (controller). Liveness specifications must be associated with timing constraints. We may require that for a specified time limit, every run reach a marked configuration within that time limit. Alternatively, a more relaxed specification may be that, for some (unspecified) global time bound, every run of the system reach a marked configuration within that time bound. Finally, the least restrictive liveness requirement is that every run reach a marked configuration within a finite time limit (but we do not insist on the existence of a global time bound for all runs).

Heymann, Michael↗

NASA Workshop on Hybrid (Mixed-Actuator) Spacecraft Attitude Control

At the request of the Science Mission Directorate Chief Engineer, the NASA Technical Fellow for Guidance, Navigation & Control assembled and facilitated a workshop on Spacecraft Hybrid Attitude Control. This multi-Center, academic, and industry workshop, sponsored by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), was held in April 2013 to unite nationwide experts to present and discuss the various innovative solutions, techniques, and lessons learned regarding the development and implementation of the various hybrid attitude control system solutions investigated or implemented. This report attempts to document these key lessons learned with the 16 findings and 9 NESC recommendations.

Dennehy, Cornelius J.↗

Synthetic estimation filters for a control system

Hybrid optical correlators, which use spatial light modulators and solid state imagers to interface computers and optical Fourier correlators, will allow the rapid changing of filters and digital pre- or post-correlation processing in vision systems. However, optical correlation (particulary with phase-only filtration) is notoriously sensitive to mismatches of rotation and magnification between the reference image and the input image. Such sharpness is not always desirable if the correlation pattern is to be used in a control system. Two methods of conforming the response of an inherently sharp-response optical correlation to an in plane rotation between reference and object images are discussed. The objective is to condition the correlation for better suitability to a vision-controlled system. The first method is controlled convolutional blurring of a reference image followed by construction of a matched filter (perhaps implemented as a phase-only filter). An alternative is discussed in more detail: it is a synthesis from sharp filters, so weighted as to produce a specified off-center behavior.

Juday, Richard D.↗

A programmable heater control circuit for spacecraft

Spacecraft thermal control is accomplished for many components through use of multilayer insulation systems, electrical heaters, and radiator systems. The heaters are commanded to maintain component temperatures within design specifications. The programmable heater control circuit (PHCC) was designed to obtain an effective and efficient means of spacecraft thermal control. The hybrid circuit provides use of control instrumentation as temperature data, available to the spacecraft central data system, reprogramming capability of the local microprocessor during the spacecraft's mission, and the elimination of significant spacecraft wiring. The hybrid integrated circuit has a temperature sensing and conditioning circuit, a microprocessor, and a heater power and control circuit. The device is miniature and housed in a volume which allows physical integration with the component to be controlled. Applications might include alternate battery-powered logic-circuit configurations. A prototype unit with appropriate physical and functional interfaces was procured for testing. The physical functionality and the feasibility of fabrication of the hybrid integrated circuit were successfully verified. The remaining work to develop a flight-qualified device includes fabrication and testing of a Mil-certified part. An option for completing the PHCC flight qualification testing is to enter into a joint venture with industry.

Nguyen, D. D.↗

Engine Yaw Augmentation for Hybrid-Wing-Body Aircraft via Optimal Control Allocation Techniques

Asymmetric engine thrust was implemented in a hybrid-wing-body non-linear simulation to reduce the amount of aerodynamic surface deflection required for yaw stability and control. Hybrid-wing-body aircraft are especially susceptible to yaw surface deflection due to their decreased bare airframe yaw stability resulting from the lack of a large vertical tail aft of the center of gravity. Reduced surface deflection, especially for trim during cruise flight, could reduce the fuel consumption of future aircraft. Designed as an add-on, optimal control allocation techniques were used to create a control law that tracks total thrust and yaw moment commands with an emphasis on not degrading the baseline system. Implementation of engine yaw augmentation is shown and feasibility is demonstrated in simulation with a potential drag reduction of 2 to 4 percent. Future flight tests are planned to demonstrate feasibility in a flight environment.

Taylor, Brian R.↗

Engine Yaw Augmentation for Hybrid-Wing-Body Aircraft via Optimal Control Allocation Techniques

Asymmetric engine thrust was implemented in a hybrid-wing-body non-linear simulation to reduce the amount of aerodynamic surface deflection required for yaw stability and control. Hybrid-wing-body aircraft are especially susceptible to yaw surface deflection due to their decreased bare airframe yaw stability resulting from the lack of a large vertical tail aft of the center of gravity. Reduced surface deflection, especially for trim during cruise flight, could reduce the fuel consumption of future aircraft. Designed as an add-on, optimal control allocation techniques were used to create a control law that tracks total thrust and yaw moment commands with an emphasis on not degrading the baseline system. Implementation of engine yaw augmentation is shown and feasibility is demonstrated in simulation with a potential drag reduction of 2 to 4 percent. Future flight tests are planned to demonstrate feasibility in a flight environment.

Taylor, Brian R.↗

Viewing hybrid systems as products of control systems and automata

The purpose of this note is to show how hybrid systems may be modeled as products of nonlinear control systems and finite state automata. By a hybrid system, we mean a network of consisting of continuous, nonlinear control system connected to discrete, finite state automata. Our point of view is that the automata switches between the control systems, and that this switching is a function of the discrete input symbols or letters that it receives. We show how a nonlinear control system may be viewed as a pair consisting of a bialgebra of operators coding the dynamics, and an algebra of observations coding the state space. We also show that a finite automata has a similar representation. A hybrid system is then modeled by taking suitable products of the bialgebras coding the dynamics and the observation algebras coding the state spaces.

Grossman, R. L.↗

Applied aspects of laminar-flow technology

An account is given of the development status and performance levels achieved with natural laminar flow (NLF), extended wing chord laminar flow control (LFC), and hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC) concepts combining NLF and partial-chord LFC in the leading-edge region. Attention is given to NLF wing structure construction methods capable of achieving the requisite surface-irregularity tolerances, LFC through wing surface suction slots or perforated skins, and the deleterious effects of insects, ice crystals, and noise disturbance inputs on the ability of NLF, LFC, and HLFC wings to maintain effective laminar flow operation.

Braslow, A. L.↗

Application of natural laminar flow to a supersonic transport concept

Results are presented of a preliminary investigation into an application of supersonic natural laminar flow (NLF) technology for a high speed civil transport (HSCT) configuration. This study focuses on natural laminar flow without regard to suction devices which are required for laminar flow control (LFC) or hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC). An HSCT design is presented with a 70 deg inboard leading-edge sweep and a 20 deg leading-edge outboard crank to obtain NLF over the outboard crank section. This configuration takes advantage of improved subsonic performance and NLF on the low-sweep portion of the wing while minimizing the wave drag and induced drag penalties associated with low-sweep supersonic cruise aircraft. In order to assess the benefits of increasing natural laminar flow wetted area, the outboard low-sweep wing area is parametrically increased. Using a range of supersonic natural laminar flow transition Reynolds numbers, these aircraft are then optimized and sized for minimum take-off gross weight (TOGW) subject to mission constraints. Results from this study indicate reductions in TOGW for the NLF concepts, due mainly to reductions in wing area and total wing weight. Furthermore, significant reductions in block fuel are calculated throughout the range of transition Reynolds numbers considered. Observations are made on the benefits of unsweeping the wingtips with all turbulent flow.

Fuhrmann, Henri D.↗

Rapid Preliminary Design of Interplanetary Trajectories Using the Evolutionary Mission Trajectory Generator

Preliminary design of interplanetary missions is a highly complex process. The mission designer must choose discrete parameters such as the number of flybys, the bodies at which those flybys are performed, and in some cases the final destination. In addition, a time-history of control variables must be chosen that defines the trajectory. There are often many thousands, if not millions, of possible trajectories to be evaluated. This can be a very expensive process in terms of the number of human analyst hours required. An automated approach is therefore very desirable. This work presents such an approach by posing the mission design problem as a hybrid optimal control problem. The method is demonstrated on notional high-thrust chemical and low-thrust electric propulsion missions. In the low-thrust case, the hybrid optimal control problem is augmented to include systems design optimization.

Design↗

Inlet Flow Control and Prediction Technologies for Embedded Propulsion Systems

Fail-safe, hybrid, flow control (HFC) is a promising technology for meeting high-speed cruise efficiency, low-noise signature, and reduced fuel-burn goals for future, Hybrid-Wing-Body (HWB) aircraft with embedded engines. This report details the development of HFC technology that enables improved inlet performance in HWB vehicles with highly integrated inlets and embedded engines without adversely affecting vehicle performance. In addition, new test techniques for evaluating Boundary-Layer-Ingesting (BLI)-inlet flow-control technologies developed and demonstrated through this program are documented, including the ability to generate a BLI-like inlet-entrance flow in a direct-connect, wind-tunnel facility, as well as, the use of D-optimal, statistically designed experiments to optimize test efficiency and enable interpretation of results. Validated improvements in numerical analysis tools and methods accomplished through this program are also documented, including Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes CFD simulations of steady-state flow physics for baseline, BLI-inlet diffuser flow, as well as, that created by flow-control devices. Finally, numerical methods were employed in a ground-breaking attempt to directly simulate dynamic distortion. The advances in inlet technologies and prediction tools will help to meet and exceed "N+2" project goals for future HWB aircraft.

McMillan, Michelle L.↗

Construction and Modeling of a Controls Testbed

This paper describes the construction and modeling of a control system testbed to be used for the comparison of various control methodologies. We specifically wish to test fuzzy logic control and compare performance of various fuzzy controllers, including Hybrid Fuzzy-PID (HFPID) and Hierarchical Hybrid Fuzzy-PID (HHFPID) to other controllers including localized rate feedback, LQR/LTR, and H2/H(sub infinity). The control problem is that of vibration suppression in a thin plate with inputs coming from accelerometers and outputs going to piezoelectric actuators or 'patches'. A model based on experimental modal analysis of the plate is conducted and compared with an analytical model. The analytical model uses a boundary condition which is a mix of clamped and simply supported.

Nagle, James C.↗

Zero Boiloff Storage of Cryogenic Propellants Achieved at Lewis' Supplemental Multilayer Insulation Research Facility

Tests conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center's Supplemental Multilayer Insulation Research Facility (SMIRF) demonstrated that a hybrid thermal control system could eliminate boiloff of cryogenic propellants. This is significant because of the substantial mass and cost savings that could be achieved for any long-duration space mission that requires cryogenic propellants. With long-duration cryogenic storage, propellants will boil off because of the environmental heating of the tank. To accommodate these losses, extra propellant is required along with larger propellant tanks. Analysis of Mars mission scenarios using space-transfer cryogenic stages showed that significant savings in propellant mass and tank size could be achieved if it were possible to eliminate or significantly reduce propellant boiloff. Engineers and technicians at NASA Lewis designed, built, and tested a hybrid thermal control system to eliminate or significantly reduce cryogenic propellant boiloff. The system consists of an active cryocooling system using a cryocooler in addition to the traditional passive thermal insulation, as shown in the photo.

Plachta, David W.↗

The development of a pseudo-nyquist analysis technique for hybrid sampled-data control systems

The stability characteristics of a launch vehicle, as a function of gain and phase variations at the thrust vector controller, cannot be obtained using classical sampled-data control theory if the launch vehicle attitude control system contains both sampled-data and continuous feedback control loops. A method was developed which can be used to generate a sampled-data pseudo-Nyquist plot for gain and phase variations at the controller. This method was developed and used to determine the stability characteristics of the Saturn 1B launch vehicle in the backup guidance mode.

Burnitt, M. G.↗

Hybrid Data Assimilation without Ensemble Filtering

The Global Modeling and Assimilation Office is preparing to upgrade its three-dimensional variational system to a hybrid approach in which the ensemble is generated using a square-root ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the variational problem is solved using the Grid-point Statistical Interpolation system. As in most EnKF applications, we found it necessary to employ a combination of multiplicative and additive inflations, to compensate for sampling and modeling errors, respectively and, to maintain the small-member ensemble solution close to the variational solution; we also found it necessary to re-center the members of the ensemble about the variational analysis. During tuning of the filter we have found re-centering and additive inflation to play a considerably larger role than expected, particularly in a dual-resolution context when the variational analysis is ran at larger resolution than the ensemble. This led us to consider a hybrid strategy in which the members of the ensemble are generated by simply converting the variational analysis to the resolution of the ensemble and applying additive inflation, thus bypassing the EnKF. Comparisons of this, so-called, filter-free hybrid procedure with an EnKF-based hybrid procedure and a control non-hybrid, traditional, scheme show both hybrid strategies to provide equally significant improvement over the control; more interestingly, the filter-free procedure was found to give qualitatively similar results to the EnKF-based procedure.

Kalman Filter↗