Sensor fusion and flight path reconstruction of the ACT/FHS rotorcraft

Abstract

DLR’s active control technology/flying helicopter simulator (ACT/FHS) research rotorcraft supports research in a variety of fields. This paper presents the flight path reconstruction (FPR) of the ACT/FHS for post-flight data processing and its online sensor fusion during flight. Both are fundamental for system identification and flight control research. First, the ACT/FHS rotorcraft, its system architecture and the used sensor instrumentation are described. Then, the implemented unscented and extended Kalman filters are briefly explained and the applied kinematic and measurement models of the FPR are introduced. The wind estimation performance of the FPR is evaluated using simulation and flight test data accordingly. Subsequently, the online sensor fusion is motivated and its behaviour following a simulated differential GPS failure is analysed and explained.