Transition flight control for Canard Rotor/Wing rotorcraft

Abstract

Canard Rotor/Wing (CRW) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) combines advantages of a helicopter for taking-off and hover, and a fixed-wing aircraft for high speed cruise. A key technology involved is control system design for transition flight. This paper describes flight characteristic of CRW UAV with achieving transition flight from helicopter mode to fixed-wing mode. Dynamic model is built and analyzed. Control strategy is proposed for three flight modes, including helicopter mode, conversion mode and fixed-wing mode. Then, flight control law is designed by modified nonlinear dynamic inversion technique. In addition, we succeed to allocate redundant control inputs for the CRW with generalized multiple control effectors. Finally, simulation has been done with MATLAB /SIMULINK toolbox. The CRW UAV accelerates from helicopter mode to fixed-wing mode. Meanwhile, control loops are closed on airspeed and altitude. Simulation results show that the designed controller could meet the requirements for transition flight control.