VTOL Transition Trajectory Planning for Minimum-Energy Flight
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Solution Overview
Problem
VTOL aircraft transition between hovering and cruising flight poses challenges in managing competing demands for stability, altitude, and efficient flight, requiring advanced automation to reduce pilot skill and optimize flight profiles.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that determine a minimum energy aircraft transition trajectory using a trajectory planning algorithm with a cost function, integrating propulsion power over computed trajectories, and utilizing aircraft flight data to output control schedules for dynamic commands, ensuring efficient energy use within flight constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If automated trajectory planning is implemented to optimize flight efficiency, then energy consumption is minimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trajectory planning algorithm computes the optimal flight path in advance before the actual transition begins. By pre-calculating the energy-optimal trajectory considering all constraints (actuator limits, flight envelope, transition schedule), the system minimizes real-time computational complexity while ensuring energy efficiency during execution
Solution Approach 2:
A dedicated trajectory planning algorithm acts as an intermediary layer between the flight constraints and the control system. This algorithm processes the complex optimization problem offline or in advance, generating a pre-planned trajectory that simplifies the real-time control task while maintaining energy optimality
2Ease of operation
If manual control is used during transition, then pilot skill can manage the flight, but the level of skill required is high and optimization is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The automated trajectory planning system enables the aircraft to plan and execute its own optimal transition trajectory without requiring high-level pilot skill. The system independently handles the complex task of navigating through the transition phase while optimizing for energy efficiency, freeing the pilot from manual optimization demands
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of determining a flight trajectory of a vertical take-off aircraft (10) having vectorable propulsion (30, 32). The method comprises: receiving one or more aircraft flight constraints; inputting the aircraft flight constraints to a trajectory planning algorithm to determine a minimum energy aircraft transition trajectory; and outputting a control schedule to fly the aircraft (10) to the flight trajectory.