Design of Digital Control Algorithms for Unmanned Air Vehicles

This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A627443. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: Recent advances in the design of high performance aircraft, such as fly by wire controls, complex autopilot systems, and unstable platforms for greater maneuverability, are all possible due to the use of digital control systems. With the aid of modem control tools and techniques based on state-space methods, the aerospace engineer has the ability to design a dynamic aircraft model, verify its accuracy, and design and implement the controller within a matter of a few months. This work examines the digital control design process utilizing a Rapid Prototyping System developed at the Naval Postgraduate School. The entire design process is presented, from design of the controller to implementation and flight test on an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV).