Terminal Guidance Blending Skid-to-Turn and Bank-to-Turn Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autopilot guidance systems for terminally guided munitions face challenges in efficiently transitioning between skid-to-turn and bank-to-turn maneuvers, particularly in achieving precise target engagement with large side forces and minimizing miss distances.
Innovation Solution
The system integrates a processor that calculates body-to-target line of sight angles and rates, generates skid-to-turn and bank-to-turn signals, and adds rudder integrator feedback, with a low-pass filter configured by gains to manage side forces, allowing for seamless transition between guidance modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If skid-to-turn guidance is used for precise target engagement, then targeting precision is improved, but the system struggles to handle large side forces effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines skid-to-turn and bank-to-turn guidance methods into a unified control system. The bank-to-turn component is specifically activated to handle large side forces while the skid-to-turn component maintains targeting precision, creating a synergistic effect that resolves the contradiction between precision and force handling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the mixing ratio between skid-to-turn and bank-to-turn signals based on real-time flight conditions and side force requirements. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize performance for both precision targeting and large side force handling across varying operational scenarios.
2Force
If bank-to-turn signal is added to handle large side forces, then side force handling capability is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into distinct functional modules: skid-to-turn signal generation, bank-to-turn signal generation, rudder integrator feedback, and signal mixing. This modular architecture manages complexity by organizing the control logic into separatable, independently可调 components while maintaining overall system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
A rudder integrator feedback mechanism is implemented to automatically regulate the bank-to-turn signal based on actual rudder deflection. This feedback loop reduces the need for complex manual tuning and simplifies the control architecture by using system state information to automatically adjust control signals.
3Reliability
If rudder integrator feedback is added to blend guidance signals, then guidance effectiveness is improved, but the computational load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rudder integrator feedback mechanism uses the system's own rudder state information to automatically adjust the bank-to-turn signal. This self-service approach improves guidance effectiveness without requiring external computational resources or complex algorithms, as the system uses its internal state for self-regulation.
4Measurement precision
If low-pass filter with gains is used to manage side forces, then side force control precision is improved, but the response time decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The low-pass filter parameters and gain values are dynamically adjusted based on flight conditions and side force magnitudes. This dynamic tuning allows the system to achieve high control precision during steady-state operation while maintaining faster response capabilities during transient maneuvers, resolving the contradiction between precision and response speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, devices, and methods for an aircraft autopilot guidance control system for guiding an aircraft having a body, the system comprising: a processor configured to determine if a yaw angle difference and a pitch angle difference meet corresponding angle thresholds; a skid-to-turn module configured to generate a skid-to-turn signal if the corresponding angle thresholds are met; a bank-to-turn module configured to generate a bank-to-turn signal having a lower bandwidth than the generated skid-to-turn signal; a rudder integrator module configured to add a rudder integrator feedback signal to the bank-to-turn signal, where the rudder integrator feedback signal is proportional to a rudder integrator; and a filter module configured to filter the generated bank-to-turn signal, wherein the filter module comprises a low-pass filter configured by a set of gains to pass the bank-to-turn signal if a side force on the body meets a side force threshold.