A Novel Software and Hardware Based UAV Upset Recovery Control System

This proposal provides research and development of an autonomous UAV upset recovery control system to enhance survivability during operations outside the normal flight envelope. Unmanned aircraft, like manned aircraft, are susceptible to upsets resulting from aerodynamic disturbances, icing, equipment failures, and/or extreme attitudes due to maneuvering. A novel control architecture for UAV platforms is proposed for development that mimics the response actions of a human operator during a potential upset condition. This outer-loop control combines fault detection algorithms to identify the upset condition with optimal and near-optimal control responses. For cases where sufficient control authority is not available for recovery, innovative shape memory alloy actuators will be developed and integrated into the UAV upset recovery control system. Software tools and test techniques will also be developed during this program to support the design, evaluation, and implementation of the recovery system. For Phase I, initial development of the outer-loop control architecture will be performed and demonstrated through simulation and reduced degree-of-freedom wind tunnel testing. This work will form the foundation for subsequent development, implementation, and evaluation on a generic fixed-wing UAV during the Phase II program.