Design and Development of a Control Scheme for the UC~2AV: Unmanned Circulation Control Aerial Vehicle

摘要

This paper describes an optimization process to reduce the power penalties of an Air Supply Unit (ASU) used in Circulation Control Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UC~2AVs). Circulation Control (CC), which is an active flow control technique that can be used on fixed-wing aircraft to achieve lift augmentation, requires the use of an efficient CC system on-board. The experimental testbed of the CC system and the development and integration of the PID control scheme are presented in this paper. Ground test experimental results indicate that power penalties can be minimized while retaining sufficient performance of the Air Supply Unit, resulting in sufficient jet velocities at the slot exit throughout the flight envelope. A power planning flowchart for optimizing the energy consumption of the augmented lift system is presented, allowing for possible reductions in battery mass to meet mission goals. The results indicate that PI control exhibits sufficient control of the CC system, with acceptable rise times and less than 2.0% overshoot in most of the tested cases. The use of the active CC regulation system described in this study enables opportunities for application to commercial UAV technology, providing important advances in this rapidly growing field.