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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 559 records · Page 31

Modal control theory and application to aircraft lateral handling qualities design

A multivariable synthesis procedure based on eigenvalue/eigenvector assignment is reviewed and is employed to develop a systematic design procedure to meet the lateral handling qualities design objectives of a fighter aircraft over a wide range of flight conditions. The closed loop modal characterization developed provides significant insight into the design process and plays a pivotal role in the synthesis of robust feedback systems. The simplicity of the synthesis algorithm yields an efficient computer aided interactive design tool for flight control system synthesis.

Srinathkumar, S.↗

Application of modern control theory to the design of optimum aircraft controllers

The synthesis procedure presented is based on the solution of the output regulator problem of linear optimal control theory for time-invariant systems. By this technique, solution of the matrix Riccati equation leads to a constant linear feedback control law for an output regulator which will maintain a plant in a particular equilibrium condition in the presence of impulse disturbances. Two simple algorithms are presented that can be used in an automatic synthesis procedure for the design of maneuverable output regulators requiring only selected state variables for feedback. The first algorithm is for the construction of optimal feedforward control laws that can be superimposed upon a Kalman output regulator and that will drive the output of a plant to a desired constant value on command. The second algorithm is for the construction of optimal Luenberger observers that can be used to obtain feedback control laws for the output regulator requiring measurement of only part of the state vector. This algorithm constructs observers which have minimum response time under the constraint that the magnitude of the gains in the observer filter be less than some arbitrary limit.

Power, L. J.↗

Minimum-fuel, power-limited transfers between coplanar elliptical orbits

Two techniques of computing coplanar, minimum-fuel, power-limited transfers are presented, based on approximate solutions obtained by the averaging method. For the first technique, the average solution provides estimates of the initial adjoint variables, and the second provides approximations of the optimal controls in feedback form. The accuracy of the techniques for computing coplanar, minimum-fuel, power-limited transfers is evaluated for a number of initial and final orbits.

Mease, Kenneth D.↗

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.↗

Profile-Following Entry Guidance Using Linear Quadratic Regulator Theory

This paper describes one of the entry guidance concepts that is currently being tested as part of Marshall Space Flight Center's Advance Guidance and Control Project. The algorithm is of the reference profile tracking type. The reference profile consists of the reference states, range-to-go, altitude, and flight path angle, and reference controls, bank angle and angle of attack, versus energy. A linear control law using state feedback is used with energy-scheduled gains. The gains are obtained offline using Matlab's steady state linear quadratic regulator function. Lateral trajectory control is effected by performing periodic bank sign reversals based on a heading error corridor. A description and results of the AG&C test cases on which it has been tested are given. Although it is not anticipated that the algorithm will be quite as robust as algorithms with onboard trajectory re-generation capability, the results nevertheless show it to be very robust with respect to varying initial conditions and works satisfactorily even for entries from widely different orbits than that of the reference profile. Moreover, the commanded bank and angle of attack histories are very smooth, making it easier for the attitude control system to implement the guidance commands. Finally, results indicate that the guidance gains are more or less trajectory-independent which is a potentially useful property.

Dukeman, Greg A.↗

The Plant Research Unit: An International Space Station Habitat

The Plant Research Unit (PRU) is one of six life science habitats being developed as part of the Space Station Biological Research Program. The PRU is designed for experiments in microgravity and will utilize the ISS Centrifuge Facility to provide gravity levels between microgravity and 29. The PRU will provide and control all aspects of a plant s needs in a nearly closed system. In other words, the shoot and root environments will not be open to the astronaut s environment except for experiment maintenance such as planting, harvesting and plant sampling. This also means that all lighting, temperature and humidity control, "watering," and air filtering and cleaning .must be done within strict limitations of volume, weight, power, and crew time while at the same time providing a very high level of reliability and a service life in excess of 10 years. The PRU will contain two plant chambers 31.5 cm tall, each with independent control of temperature, humidity, light level and photoperiod, CO2 level, nutrient and water delivery, and video and data acquisition. The PRU is currently in the preliminary design phase and a number of subsystem components have been prototyped for testing, including the temperature and humidity control systems, the plant chambers, the LED lighting system, the atmospheric control system and a variety of nutrient delivery systems. The LED prototype provides independent feedback control of 5 separate spectral bands and variable output between 0 and 1000 micro-mol sq m/sec. The water and nutrient delivery system (WNDS) prototypes have been used to test particulate based, thin film, and gel-based WNDS configurations.

Morrow, Robert↗

Data-Based Predictive Control with Multirate Prediction Step

Data-based predictive control is an emerging control method that stems from Model Predictive Control (MPC). MPC computes current control action based on a prediction of the system output a number of time steps into the future and is generally derived from a known model of the system. Data-based predictive control has the advantage of deriving predictive models and controller gains from input-output data. Thus, a controller can be designed from the outputs of complex simulation code or a physical system where no explicit model exists. If the output data happens to be corrupted by periodic disturbances, the designed controller will also have the built-in ability to reject these disturbances without the need to know them. When data-based predictive control is implemented online, it becomes a version of adaptive control. One challenge of MPC is computational requirements increasing with prediction horizon length. This paper develops a closed-loop dynamic output feedback controller that minimizes a multi-step-ahead receding-horizon cost function with multirate prediction step. One result is a reduced influence of prediction horizon and the number of system outputs on the computational requirements of the controller. Another result is an emphasis on portions of the prediction window that are sampled more frequently. A third result is the ability to include more outputs in the feedback path than in the cost function.

Barlow, Jonathan S.↗

Expectation-Based Control of Noise and Chaos

A proposed approach to control of noise and chaos in dynamic systems would supplement conventional methods. The approach is based on fictitious forces composed of expectations governed by Fokker-Planck or Liouville equations that describe the evolution of the probability densities of the controlled parameters. These forces would be utilized as feedback control forces that would suppress the undesired diffusion of the controlled parameters. Examples of dynamic systems in which the approach is expected to prove beneficial include spacecraft, electronic systems, and coupled lasers.

Zak, Michael↗

Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA 2.0) System Development

The Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) system is a low-power assembly capable of simultaneously removing carbon dioxide (CO2) and humidity from an influent air steam and subsequent regeneration when exposed to a vacuum source. Two solid amine sorbent beds are alternated between an uptake mode and a regeneration mode. During the uptake mode, the sorbent is exposed to an air steam (ventilation loop) to adsorb CO2 and water (H2O) vapor, whereas during the regeneration mode, the sorbent rejects the adsorbed CO2 and H2O vapor to a vacuum source. The two beds operate such that while one bed is in the uptake mode, the other is in the regeneration mode, thus continuously providing an on-service sorbent bed by which CO2 and humidity may be removed. A novel valve assembly provides a simple means of diverting the process air flow through the uptake bed while simultaneously directing the vacuum source to the regeneration bed. Additionally, the valve assembly is designed to allow for switching between uptake and regeneration modes with only one moving part while minimizing gas volume losses to the vacuum source by means of an internal pressure equalization step during actuation. The process can be controlled by a compact, low-power controller design with several modes of operation available to the user. Together with NASA Johnson Space Center, Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International, Inc. has been developing RCA 2.0 based on performance and design feedback on several sorbent bed test articles and valve design concepts. A final design of RCA 2.0 was selected in November 2011 and fabricated and assembled between March and August 2012, with delivery to NASA Johnson Space Center in September 2012. This paper provides an overview of the RCA system design and results of pre-delivery testing.

Papale, William↗

Low-Latency Science Exploration of Planetary Bodies: How ISS Might Be Used as Part of a Low-Latency Analog Campaign for Human Exploration

We suggest that the International Space Station be used to examine the application and validation of low-latency telepresence for surface exploration from space as an alternative, precursor, or potentially as an adjunct to astronaut "boots on the ground." To this end, controlled experiments that build upon and complement ground-based analog field studies will be critical for assessing the effects of different latencies (0 to 500 milliseconds), task complexity, and alternate forms of feedback to the operator. These experiments serve as an example of a pathfinder for NASA's roadmap of missions to Mars with low-latency telerobotic exploration as a precursor to astronaut's landing on the surface to conduct geological tasks.

robotic space exploration↗

Six axis force feedback input device

The present invention is a low friction, low inertia, six-axis force feedback input device comprising an arm with double-jointed, tendon-driven revolute joints, a decoupled tendon-driven wrist, and a base with encoders and motors. The input device functions as a master robot manipulator of a microsurgical teleoperated robot system including a slave robot manipulator coupled to an amplifier chassis, which is coupled to a control chassis, which is coupled to a workstation with a graphical user interface. The amplifier chassis is coupled to the motors of the master robot manipulator and the control chassis is coupled to the encoders of the master robot manipulator. A force feedback can be applied to the input device and can be generated from the slave robot to enable a user to operate the slave robot via the input device without physically viewing the slave robot. Also, the force feedback can be generated from the workstation to represent fictitious forces to constrain the input device's control of the slave robot to be within imaginary predetermined boundaries.

Ohm, Timothy↗

Active-Controlled Fluid Film Based on Wave-Bearing Technology

It has been known since 1967 that the steady-state and dynamic performance, including the stability of a wave bearing, are highly dependent on the wave amplitude. A wave-bearing profile can be readily obtained by elastically distorting the stationary bearing sleeve surface. The force that distorts the elastic sleeve surface could be an applied force or pressure. The magnitude and response of the distorting force would be defined by the relation between the bearing surface stiffness and the bearing pressure, or load, in a feedback loop controller. Using such devices as piezoelectric or other electromechanical elements, one could step control or fully control the bearing. The selection between these systems depends on the manner in which the distortion forces are applied, the running speed, and the reaction time of the feedback loop. With these techniques, both liquid- (oil-) or gas- (air-) lubricated wave bearings could be controlled. This report gives some examples of the dependency of the bearing's performance on the wave amplitude. The analysis also was proven experimentally.

Dimofte, Florin↗

Low bandwidth robust controllers for flight

During the final reporting period (Jun. - Dec. 1992), analyses of the longitudinal and lateral flying qualities were made for propulsive-only flight control (POFC) of a Boeing 720 aircraft model. Performance resulting from compensators developed using Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) is documented and analyzed. This report is a first draft of a thesis to be presented by graduate student Hwei-Lan Chou. The final thesis will be presented to NASA when it is completed later this year. The latest landing metrics related to bandwidth criteria and based on the Neal-Smith approach to flying qualities prediction were used in developing performance criteria for the controllers. The compensator designs were tested on the NASA simulator and exhibited adequate performance for piloted flight. There was no significant impact of QFT on performance of the propulsive-only flight controllers in either the longitudinal or lateral modes of flight. This was attributed to the physical limits of thrust available and the engine rate of response, both of whiih severely limited the available bandwidth of the closed-loop system.

Biezad, Daniel J.↗

Divertor detachment and heat exhaust mitigation control in KSTAR with tungsten divertor

KSTAR has recently undergone an upgrade to use a new tungsten divertor to run experiments in ITER-relevant scenarios. Even with a high melting point of tungsten, it is important to control the heat flux impinging on tungsten divertor targets to minimize sputtering and contamination of the core plasma. Heat flux on the divertor is often controlled by increasing the degree of detachment of scrape-off layer plasma from the target plates. In this work, we have demonstrated successful divertor detachment and heat exhaust dissipation control experiments using two different methods. The first method uses attachment fraction as a control variable which is estimated using ion saturation current measurements from embedded Langmuir probes in the divertor. The second method uses a novel machine-learning-based surrogate model of 2D UEDGE simulation database, DivControlNN. We demonstrated running inference operation of DivControlNN in realtime to estimate heat flux at the divertor and use it as the control variable in a feedback loop with impurity gas flow. We present interesting insights from these experiments including a systematic approach to tuning controllers and discuss future improvements in the control infrastructure and control variables for future burning plasma experiments.

KSTAR tungsten divertor operations↗

Transistorized PWM inverter-induction motor drive system

This paper describes the development of a transistorized PWM inverter-induction motor traction drive system. A vehicle performance analysis was performed to establish the vehicle tractive effort-speed requirements. These requirements were then converted into a set of inverter and motor specifications. The inverter was a transistorized three-phase bridge using General Electric power Darlington transistors. The description of the design and development of this inverter is the principal object of this paper. The high-speed induction motor is a design which is optimized for use with an inverter power source. The primary feedback control is a torque angle control with voltage and torque outer loop controls. A current-controlled PWM technique is used to control the motor voltage. The drive has a constant torque output with PWM operation to base motor speed and a constant horsepower output with square wave operation to maximum speed. The drive system was dynamometer tested and the results are presented.

Peak, S. C.↗

Contamination control plan for prelaunch operations

A unified, systematic plan is presented for contamination control for space flight systems. Allowable contaminant quantities, or contamination budgets, are determined based on system performance margins and system-level allowable degradations. These contamination budgets are compared to contamination rates in ground environments to establish the controls required in each ground environment. The use of feedback from contamination monitoring and some contamination control procedures are discussed.

Austin, J. D.↗

A systems analysis of the erythropoietic responses to weightlessness. Volume 2: Description of the model of erythropoiesis regulation. Part A: Model for regulation of erythropoiesis. Part B: Detailed description of the model for regulation of erythropoiesis

A mathematical model of the erythropoiesis on total red blood cell mass is presented. The loss of red cell mass has been a consistent finding during space flight. Computer simulation of this phenomenon required a model that could account for oxygen transport, red cell production, and red cell destruction. The elements incorporated into the feedback regulation loop of the model are based on the accepted concept that erythrocyte production is governed by the balance between oxygen supply and demand in the body. The mechanisms and pathways of the control circuit include oxygenation of hemoglobin and oxygenation of tissues by blood transport and diffusional processes. Other features of the model include a variable oxygen-hemoglobin affinity, and time delays which represent time for erythropoietin (erythrocyte-stimulating hormone) distribution in plasma, and time for maturation of the erythrocytes in bone marrow.

Leonard, J. I.↗

Design for active flutter suppression and gust alleviation using state-space aeroelastic modeling

An analytical design technique for an active flutter-suppression and gust-alleviation control system is presented. It is based on a rational approximation of the unsteady aerodynamic loads in the entire Laplace domain, which yields matrix equations of motion with constant coefficients. Some existing rational approximation schemes are reviewed, and a new technique which yields a minimal number of augmented states for a desired accuracy is presented. The state-space aeroelastic model is used to design a constant gain, partial-feedback control system, which simultaneously assures stability and optimizes any desired combination of gust response parameters throughout the entire flight envelope.

Karpel, M.↗