RU2771692C1 - Method for semi-natural robotic research and testing of control systems for vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (vtl uav) - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: semi-natural robotic testing.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a method for semi-natural robotic testing of control systems for vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (VTL UAVs). To test the control systems of the VTL UAVs, semi-natural testing of the entire system of its automatic control (ACS) is performed, which consists in the formation of linear and angular movements of the VTL UAVs in vertical takeoff, landing and hover modes with limited linear displacements, which are simulated using a six-degree robotic manipulator. At the same time, the operation of the on-board ACS takes place on the basis of information obtained using the standard measurement system, and the commands generated by the ACS and data on the implementation of these commands by the drives are transmitted to the modeling stand, which generates commands to control the movement of the attachment point of the robotic manipulator in relation to the UAV.

EFFECT: improvement of the quality of semi-natural tests of the VTL UAVs is provided.

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Description

The invention relates to the field of test engineering and can be used for research and testing of control systems for vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft (UAV), including as part of an unmanned aerial system (UAS).

From the prior art there is known a method for conducting semi-natural tests of automatic control systems of aircraft [1], which consists in using a three-stage dynamic stand for installing standard equipment of a radar sight. The three-degree dynamic stand is designed to reproduce the angular turns of the radar sight, simulating the turns of the UAV during the flight, it is made in the form of a turntable equipped with electric motors for the angular turn of the support platform in three planes (at the angles of azimuth, roll and pitch).

The disadvantage of this method is the limited use of real UAS equipment as part of the stand, since all other elements of the control system in the proposed concept of HIL are replaced by simulators.

A known method of semi-natural testing of control systems for rendezvous and docking of aircraft, which is based on the simulation of the spatial movement of the tested aircraft (aircraft) using a six-degree robotic arm [2,3]. The method is implemented through the use of computer simulation of the dynamics of movement of approaching aircraft, two robotic manipulators that provide relative movement of aircraft models, and real docking equipment that implement physical contact of the aircraft with the reproduction of the corresponding forces and moments.

The disadvantage of this method of testing aircraft is the use of only the elements of the docking and capture system from among the actual equipment of the aircraft as part of the HIL simulation stand.

A known method of conducting semi-natural tests of an unmanned aerial vehicle of an aircraft type, which is based on the use of a six-degree platform of Hugh-Stewart to include information about the angles of roll and pitch obtained using an onboard inertial navigation system, in the automatic control loop of the UAV due to the appropriate inclination of the platform [ 4]. At the same time, it is assumed that standard elements, such as a ground control station and an autopilot, can be used in the control loop, while the simulation of flight dynamics and the simulation of signals from the information-measuring system, with the exception of roll and pitch angles, is performed using a computer.

The disadvantage of this method of testing aircraft is the use of the platform only to simulate the angles of roll and pitch and the limited range of available changes in these angles.

The closest in technical essence to the claimed invention is a method for testing control systems of an unmanned aerial vehicle using a complex of semi-natural simulation of an unmanned aerial vehicle of the multicopter type [5].

The advantage of this method of HIL modeling is the provision of external physical influences that play along (dynamic similarity of movement) using the six-degree Hugh-Stewart platform. In comparison with the method discussed above, in this case, the range of physical influences that can be perceived by the standard on-board measurement system as part of an automatic control system is expanded.

The disadvantage of this method is that in the proposed implementation there are significant restrictions on the angular position of the platform, and it also does not provide for the possibility of testing the UAV UAV with a working power plant.

As a result, significant assumptions are made regarding the mathematical model of the aircraft and the elements of the control system.

The objective of the invention is to eliminate this drawback. The technical result consists in improving the quality of full-scale tests of helicopter-type UAVs by reproducing forces and moments on the main rotor hub corresponding to the actual values realized under typical flight conditions, and, thereby, simulating the flight dynamics and operating conditions of the entire UAV automatic control circuit. The task is solved, and the technical result is achieved by the fact that the robotic arm moves along the trajectory corresponding to the simulated movement of the UAV UAV, thereby closing the control loop with real systems for measuring the angular and spatial position, on-board computer, drives and, ultimately, controls.

The main idea of the invention is that reducing the complexity of testing and ensuring the safety of the first flight of the UAV UAV is achieved as a result of reproducing, using a modeling stand and a robotic arm, in real time, the spatial movement of the UAV UAV, taking into account:

- the functioning of real means of measuring the spatial and angular position of the UAV as sources of information for the operation of the ACS (automatic flight control system);

- functioning of a real onboard computer (on-board digital computer) for the implementation of ACS algorithms;

- functioning of real drives.

The proposed method is carried out as follows.

A semi-natural test of the UA VVS is performed by including in the UA control loop real means for measuring the angular position and linear accelerations, an on-board computer that implements the UA automatic control algorithm being tested, as well as drives (actuators) of the control system.

The UAV specimen under test is mounted on a robotic arm that provides linear and angular movements of the UAV (see drawing 1).

For helicopter-type UAs, it is proposed to use the attachment point to the manipulator flange, which repeats the method of attaching the bushing to the main rotor shaft, thereby the forces and moments applied by the manipulator will imitate the real forces and moments created by the main rotor.

The given flight mode is transmitted from the ground control station to the UAV in accordance with the actual UAV data control scheme.

The information received with the help of the standard on-board system for measuring the angular position and linear displacements is transmitted via a radio communication channel (or using a radio communication channel simulator) to the ground control station and is used to generate input signals for the functioning of the standard on-board ACS.

For equipment, the operation of which is limited due to the placement of the test bench indoors (for example, GPS, compass), simulators are used that generate the appropriate signals based on the simulation of the UAV motion dynamics.

Based on the comparison of the set and measured values of the angular position and linear displacements of the UAV, coming to the input of the ACS, control commands are formed in accordance with the real algorithms of the ACS operation.

The output (command) signals of the ACS coming to the input of the executive elements of the control system and information about the movement of the drives are transmitted to the modeling stand (see drawing 2).

The simulation stand implements a mathematical model of the flight dynamics of the UAV under study, which includes mathematical models for calculating the forces and moments acting on the UAV, and a mathematical model of the angular and spatial motion of the UAV, which provides the calculation of the displacement and orientation of the UAV structure section at the location of the attachment point to the robotic manipulator .

With the help of the inverse model of the dynamics and kinematics of the robotic arm, the manipulator control commands are formed, which ensure the movement of the UAV in accordance with the result of the simulation of the flight dynamics.

The proposed test method makes it possible to carry out full-scale tests of the automatic control system of the UAV UAV with sensors operating in the control loop for measuring the orientation and movement of the UAV, an on-board computer with actually functioning ACS algorithms and drives.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Patent RU 2629709C2 Device for semi-natural simulation of an unmanned aerial vehicle control system, 2017,

2. Ou Ma - Use of industrial robots for hardware-in-the-loop simulation of satellite rendezvous and docking, 2012,

3. T. Boge - EPOS-A Robotics-Based Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator for Simulating Satellite RvD Operations, 2010,

4. Stephan Schulz et al - Hardware-in-the-loop Testbed for Autopilot Development using Flight Simulation and Parallel Kinematics (2020),

5. Gogolev A.A. - Semi-natural modeling of unmanned aerial vehicles of the multicopter type (Proceedings of the MAI No. 92).

Claims (1)

A method for semi-natural robotic testing of control systems for vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV VTOL), which consists in the fact that in order to ensure safety and reduce the time of flight tests, semi-natural testing of the entire automatic control system of UA VTOL is performed by forming linear and angular movements of the UAV, simulating the real dynamics of the UAV flight in vertical takeoff, landing and hover modes with limited linear movements, using a six-degree robotic manipulator, while the operation of the onboard ACS is based on information about the actual angular and linear displacements of the UAV obtained using the standard measurement system, and the commands, generated by the ACS, and the data on the implementation of these commands by the drives are transmitted to the simulation stand, which provides the calculation of the dynamics and kinematics of the movements of the UAV and generates commands to control the movement of the attachment point of the robotic manipulator to the test UA, which makes it possible to obtain reliable information on the suitability of the proposed architecture and settings of the ACS as part of the UA for safe flight, as well as to conduct research and debug new solutions in terms of algorithms and hardware implementation of the UAV, including for cases of landing on mobile platform.

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