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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.

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At least 235 records · Page 13

System identification requirements for high-bandwidth rotorcraft flight control system design

The application of system identification methods to high-bandwidth rotorcraft flight control system design is examined. Flight test and modeling requirements are illustrated using flight test data from a BO-105 hingeless rotor helicopter. The proposed approach involves the identification of nonparametric frequency-response models followed by parametric (transfer funtion and state space) model identification. Results for the BO-105 show the need for including coupled body/rotor flapping and lead-lag dynamics in the identification model structure to allow the accurate prediction of control system bandwidth limitations. Lower-order models are useful for estimating nominal control system performance only when the flight data used for the identification are band-limited to be consistent with the frequency range of applicability of the model. The flight test results presented in this paper are consistent with theoretical studies by previous researchers.

Tischler, Mark B.↗

Automatic oscillator frequency control system

A frequency control system makes an initial correction of the frequency of its own timing circuit after comparison against a frequency of known accuracy and then sequentially checks and corrects the frequencies of several voltage controlled local oscillator circuits. The timing circuit initiates the machine cycles of a central processing unit which applies a frequency index to an input register in a modulo-sum frequency divider stage and enables a multiplexer to clock an accumulator register in the divider stage with a cyclical signal derived from the oscillator circuit being checked. Upon expiration of the interval, the processing unit compares the remainder held as the contents of the accumulator against a stored zero error constant and applies an appropriate correction word to a correction stage to shift the frequency of the oscillator being checked. A signal from the accumulator register may be used to drive a phase plane ROM and, with periodic shifts in the applied frequency index, to provide frequency shift keying of the resultant output signal. Interposition of a phase adder between the accumulator register and phase plane ROM permits phase shift keying of the output signal by periodic variation in the value of a phase index applied to one input of the phase adder.

Smith, S. F.↗

Control system design and analysis using the INteractive Controls Analysis (INCA) program

The INteractive Controls Analysis (INCA) program was developed at the Goddard Space Flight Center to provide a user friendly efficient environment for the design and analysis of linear control systems. Since its inception, INCA has found extensive use in the design, development, and analysis of control systems for spacecraft, instruments, robotics, and pointing systems. Moreover, the results of the analytic tools imbedded in INCA have been flight proven with at least three currently orbiting spacecraft. This paper describes the INCA program and illustrates, using a flight proven example, how the package can perform complex design analyses with relative ease.

Bauer, Frank H.↗

The mission configuration process for the Spartan attitude control system

The Spartan attitude control system (ACS) control electronics assembly cold plate has a standard connector interface to the rest of the Spartan payload and ground equipment. The connectors carry gyro signals, optical sensor signals, the experiment interface, the gas command decoder interface, and a pneumatics interface. Different flights can employ different optical sensor complements; the ACS engineer must accordingly connect the sensor error signals to the proper pins and connectors on the ACS electronics.

Stone, R. W.↗

Study of synthesis techniques for insensitive aircraft control systems

Insensitive flight control system design criteria was defined in terms of maximizing performance (handling qualities, RMS gust response, transient response, stability margins) over a defined parameter range. Wing load alleviation for the C-5A was chosen as a design problem. The C-5A model was a 79-state, two-control structure with uncertainties assumed to exist in dynamic pressure, structural damping and frequency, and the stability derivative, M sub w. Five new techniques (mismatch estimation, uncertainty weighting, finite dimensional inverse, maximum difficulty, dual Lyapunov) were developed. Six existing techniques (additive noise, minimax, multiplant, sensitivity vector augmentation, state dependent noise, residualization) and the mismatch estimation and uncertainty weighting techniques were synthesized and evaluated on the design example. Evaluation and comparison of these six techniques indicated that the minimax and the uncertainty weighting techniques were superior to the other six, and of these two, uncertainty weighting has lower computational requirements. Techniques based on the three remaining new concepts appear promising and are recommended for further research.

Harvey, C. A.↗

[Network Design of the Spaceport Command and Control System]

I helped the Launch Control System (LCS) hardware team sustain the network design of the Spaceport Command and Control System. I wrote the procedure that will be used to satisfy an official hardware test for the hardware carrying data from the Launch Vehicle. I installed hardware and updated design documents in support of the ongoing development of the Spaceport Command and Control System and applied firewall experience I gained during my spring 2017 semester to inspect and create firewall security policies as requested. Finally, I completed several online courses concerning networking fundamentals and Unix operating systems.

Teijeiro, Antonio↗

Execution environment for intelligent real-time control systems

Modern telerobot control technology requires the integration of symbolic and non-symbolic programming techniques, different models of parallel computations, and various programming paradigms. The Multigraph Architecture, which has been developed for the implementation of intelligent real-time control systems is described. The layered architecture includes specific computational models, integrated execution environment and various high-level tools. A special feature of the architecture is the tight coupling between the symbolic and non-symbolic computations. It supports not only a data interface, but also the integration of the control structures in a parallel computing environment.

Sztipanovits, Janos↗

A universal computer control system for motors

A control system for a multi-motor system such as a space telerobot, having a remote computational node and a local computational node interconnected with one another by a high speed data link is described. A Universal Computer Control System (UCCS) for the telerobot is located at each node. Each node is provided with a multibus computer system which is characterized by a plurality of processors with all processors being connected to a common bus, and including at least one command processor. The command processor communicates over the bus with a plurality of joint controller cards. A plurality of direct current torque motors, of the type used in telerobot joints and telerobot hand-held controllers, are connected to the controller cards and responds to digital control signals from the command processor. Essential motor operating parameters are sensed by analog sensing circuits and the sensed analog signals are converted to digital signals for storage at the controller cards where such signals can be read during an address read/write cycle of the command processing processor.

Szakaly, Zoltan F.↗

Attitude control system

An attitude control system is described in which angular rate signals are generated by rate gyros mounted closely adjacent to gimbaled engines at the rear of a vehicle. Error signals representative of a commanded change in vehicle angle or attitude are obtained from a precision inertial platform located in the nose region of the vehicle. The rate gyro derived signals dominate at high frequencies where dynamic effects become significant, and platform signals dominate at low frequencies where precision signals are required for a steady vehicle attitude. The blended signals are applied in a conventional manner to control the gimbaling of vehicle engines about control axes.

Vonpragenau, G. L.↗

Configuration trade-offs for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility pointing control system

Conceptual pointing control system designs for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) are examined in terms of fine guidance pointing and large-angle slewing accuracies. In particular, basic trade-offs between body pointing only and body pointing plus image motion compensation (IMC) are considered using a steady-state linear covariance analysis to compute rms pointing errors. It is shown that body pointing can provide good performance during nominal fine pointing but limits the telescope capability to rapidly slew and acquire targets. Overall, body pointing plus IMC would offer superior performance but must be judged against the difficulties posed by the attitude sensor noise and the higher cost and complexity of IMC. It is recommended that improved sensor designs be pursued while slewing performance be enhanced by a combination of an appropriate command profile and control compensation.

Pue, A. J.↗

Apollo experience report guidance and control systems

The Apollo guidance and control systems for both the command module and the lunar module are described in a summary report. General functional requirements are discussed, and general functional descriptions of the various subsystems and their interfaces are provided. The differences between the original in-flight maintenance concept and the final lunar-orbital-rendezvous concept are discussed, and the background in philosophy, the system development, and the reasons for the change in concept are chronologically presented. Block diagrams showing the command module guidance and control system under each concept are included. Significant conclusions and recommendations contained in more detailed reports on specific areas of the guidance and control systems are included.

Wilson, R. E., Jr.↗

Apollo reaction control systems.

Apollo reaction control systems, describing command module, service module, lunar module, engine qualifications, etc

Vaughan, C. A.↗