Aircraft pitch rate control design with guardian maps

Abstract

A fixed architecture flight controller guaranteeing a priori given handling quality requirements is proposed. Handling qualities are translated into pole confinement within a region of the complex plane. The proposed control algorithm is based on guardian maps. It seeks to place the closed-loop poles inside the target region. Gibson's dropback, one of the handling quality requirements, is specifically handled with a formula which allows to express explicitly the criterion in the gains. The procedure is successfully applied to design the pitch rate controller of a Challenger 604 aircraft.