Aircraft Deck Motion Compensation Design

Systems Technology, Inc., with Dr. Eric Johnson’s Research Team at Pennsylvania State University, directly address the Navy SBIR research defined in Topic N162-098, “Aircraft Deck Motion Compensation Design.” The objective of this topic is stated, “Develop deck motion compensation algorithm and control law design methodology and guidance via airborne and/or shipboard sensors … to improve aircraft boarding rate capabilities in high ship motion conditions.” Moreover, the topic states, “A design guidance and conceptual analysis toolset is needed for existing simulation environments to demonstrate the six-degree-of-freedom simulation response of an aircraft during a shipboard recovery.” The objective has been addressed in the Phase I Base Program, where a prototype Rotorcraft Unmanned Aerial System - Deck Motion Compensation toolset (RUAS-DMC) was developed with a detailed RUAS model, a representative ship motion model, and a prototype DMC scheme based on the adaptive Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) algorithm. The Phase I Option Program will further enhance the toolset by incorporating flight test data to make RUAS-DMC more robust, will further advance the GPC-DMC algorithm, and will incorporate alternative guidance and control schemes. This naturally leads to the proposed Phase II Program where RUAS-DMC will be fully matured via extensive software additions and enhancements, extensive Monte Carlo simulations, hardware-in-the-loop tests, and flight tests with a relevant RUAS and ship deck. The Phase II Program focus is on the development of successful guidance and control scheme(s) to improve boarding rates. Moreover, toolset modularity and portability is a goal, so that specific components can be incorporated into existing tools (e.g., CASTLE and MATLAB/Simulink). Generality is also a goal, so that the DMC toolset and scheme(s) are also applicable to fixed-wing carrier landing. At the end of the Phase II Program, RUAS-DMC will be well positioned for transition to Navy acquisition programs PMA-266 and PMA-268.