Aircraft control using spatially distributed flush air data sensor feedback

This paper presents a novel methodology for a control of aircraft using spatially distributed surface pressure sensors namely, flush air data sensors (FADS). The methodology combines the advantages derived from robustness properties of passivity-based control theory with richness of sensory information obtained from judiciously distributed network of highly sensitive (responsive) FADS. It is shown that FADS feedback can be effectively used to control aircraft motion. The redundancy in FADS is exploited using a sensor blending strategy that can render the input-output system passive over a range of parameters and thus making it amenable for robust feedback control. The paper presents some early results which show the potential of the proposed FADS-based control methodology. The results show that FADS can also be an alternative to using traditional motion sensors for control of aircraft systems. The paper discusses various aspects of FADS-based control concept including placement of sensors, feedback architecture, blending algorithms, and future potential for such a concept.