Nonlinear Modular 3D Trajectory Control of a General Aviation Aircraft

The ongoing automation of waypoint navigation due to the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles demands for precise tracking of increasingly dynamical trajectories. For this purpose, a trajectory control approach is presented in this paper, employing nonlinear dynamic inversion and second-order nonlinear error dynamics of the position error. The control module is part of an integrated auto-flight control system, which is briefly introduced in this paper. The main focus is laid on the derivation of the error dynamics along with its dynamic inversion. As the speed is controlled by additional airspeed control, the trajectory controller is further reduced to drive the position error in 3D to zero. Finally, illustrative examples show the controller’s performance with respect to a linear controller and the influence of significant wind.     «

The ongoing automation of waypoint navigation due to the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles demands for precise tracking of increasingly dynamical trajectories. For this purpose, a trajectory control approach is presented in this paper, employing nonlinear dynamic inversion and second-order nonlinear error dynamics of the position error. The control module is part of an integrated auto-flight control system, which is briefly introduced in this paper. The main focus is laid on the derivation o...     »