Lateral Autopilots

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Introduction

 Autopilot uses:

 For safety reasons

 Lowers pilot workload (especially for long flights)

 Types

 Control or Hold certain flight parameter(s)

 Perform navigational tasks

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
Lateral Autopilots
 Bank/Roll Angle Hold
 Coordinated Roll Angle hold
 Heading Angle hold

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Bank Angle Hold Autopilot

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

 Prevents pilot having to constantly control roll angle.
 Autopilot mode analysis/design, 2 important questions:
 Which type of control device do we use?
Ailerons

 What type of feedback loop structure (sensor)?

Roll Angle gyro

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

 In simplest form it is a wing leveler
 An Attitude Sensor, roll gyro, is used to sense deviation
 Bank Angle feedback gives positive stiffness in roll and
stabilizes the spiral mode.
 If the aircraft is held at some other attitude other than
wing level, additional control systems must be used to
control sideslip and pitch rate, so that a coordinated
turning motion is produced.
 This control system can provide the inner loop for other
autopilots, e.g. to maintain Fixed Heading etc.

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

∅𝑟 𝑒 Roll Angle
𝑐 Aileron
𝛿𝑎 Airplane
∅
Controller Servo (+SAS)
−

∅𝑚 Roll Angle ∅
Gyro

AAE –AAE
342 –Flight
342 Flight
Control
Control
Systems
Systems
 ∅
∅𝑒 𝑒 𝜀 𝑝𝑒 𝑢 𝛿𝑎
Aileron
𝐺𝑒 𝑘𝜀 Actuator 𝐴/𝐶
− −

𝑘𝑝

𝑘∅

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

 Aileron Tab Servo of the BAe RJ85:

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Gyro and Servo Model Representations (as before):

 Roll Angle Gyro: 𝐻𝑔𝑦𝑟𝑜 ≈ 1

1
 Aileron Servo: 𝐻𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑜 ≈
𝜏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑜 𝑠+1

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

What about the reference input signal ∅𝑟 ?
This roll angle is indirectly defined on the mode control
panel by the pilot. In practice: limited ∅ established for ∆𝜓

Assumption: Only important degree of freedom is roll.

Reduced transfer function:

𝜙(𝑠) 𝐿 𝛿𝑎
=
𝛿𝑎 (𝑠) 𝑠(𝑠 − 𝐿𝑝 )

 What’s the sign of 𝐿𝛿𝑎 ? Negative, since a positive aileron

deflection results in a negative rolling moment.

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Example: Cessna C182
Cessna C182
Dimensions:
 Wing Area: 16.2 𝑚2
 Mean Chord: 1.5 𝑚
 Wingspan: 10.97 𝑚
Flight Condition: Cruise
 Altitude: 1500 𝑚
 Speed: 241.5 𝑘𝑚/ℎ
 Weight: 12 𝑘𝑁

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

 Cessna 182 complete aileron to roll angle transfer function:

𝜙(𝑠) −75.05𝑠 2 − 97.57𝑠 − 603.3

=
𝛿𝑎 (𝑠) 𝑠 4 + 14.37𝑠 3 + 28.23𝑠 2 + 137.5𝑠 + 2.45

𝜙(𝑠) 𝐿𝛿𝑎
 Reduced aileron to roll angle transfer function =
𝛿𝑎 (𝑠) 𝑠(𝑠−𝐿𝑝 )

𝜙(𝑠) −75.1
= 2
𝛿𝑎 (𝑠) 𝑠 + 13𝑠

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

∅𝑟 ∅𝑒 Roll Angle 𝑐 Aileron 𝛿𝑎 Aircraft ∅
Controller Servo (+SAS)
−
𝐻≈1

∅𝑚 Roll Angle ∅
Gyro
𝐻≈1

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
Example: Roll Angle Hold Mode Bunting
UAV

Reduced Aileron to Roll Angle Transfer Function:

∅(𝑠) −655.6
= 2
𝛿𝑎 (𝑠) 𝑠 + 52.52𝑠
AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
∅𝑟 ∅𝑒 Roll Angle 𝑐 Aileron 𝛿𝑎 Aircraft ∅
Controller Servo (+SAS)
− 1
𝐻=
𝜏𝑠 + 1

∅𝑚 Roll Angle ∅
Gyro
𝐻≈1

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
 The value of the roll hold control gain in cruise 𝐾∅ = −0.08,
does not guarantee compliance with airworthiness
regulations in other flight conditions. In fact the roll hold
control gain is different in each light condition.
Flight Condition 𝑲
Launch −0.439
Climb −0.336
Cruise −0.08
Patrol −0.481
Descent −0.336
Recovery −0.6

 Gain scheduling is required.

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Coordinated Turn

 A coordinated turn is one in which the resulting

acceleration lies in the plane of symmetry. An
uncoordinated turn could either slip or skid the aircraft.
 Coordination can be achieved using the definition of a
"coordinated turn." This means that there is no lateral
acceleration; thus if an accelerometer is used to sense
lateral acceleration and its output is fed to the rudder so
that the rudder will be deflected in such a direction as to
null the output of the accelerometer, coordination can be
obtained.
 Another method is by eliminating sideslip, i.e., feeding
back a signal proportional to sideslip. (Discussed in Next
Autopilot)
AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
Coordination

 Another method for coordination is based on the fact that

for a certain yaw rate and true air speed, there is only
one value of bank angle for which coordination can be
achieved. (Discussed in Heading Angle Hold)

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Coordinated Roll Angle Hold
Autopilot

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

 Extension of roll angle hold mode which reduces sideslip
angle 𝛽 to zero.
 Use:
 Align aircraft with streamlines: Reduced Drag
 No lateral accelerations: More comfort for crew and
passengers
 Autopilot mode analysis/design, 2 important questions:
 Which type of control device do we use?
Ailerons, rudder
 What type of feedback loop structure (sensor)?
Roll Angle gyro, yaw rate gyro, sideslip sensor

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
Example:

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Example:
>> damp(sysLat)

Pole Damping Frequency Time Constant

(rad/seconds) (seconds)

-1.43e-02 1.00e+00 1.43e-02 6.99e+01

-1.12e-01 + 1.50e+00i 7.45e-02 1.50e+00 8.92e+00
-1.12e-01 - 1.50e+00i 7.45e-02 1.50e+00 8.92e+00
-2.09e+00 1.00e+00 2.09e+00 4.79e-01

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Example:

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Flight Control Systems
 SAS

Flight Control Systems

Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Heading Angle Hold Autopilot

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

 Prevents pilot having to constantly control heading angle
during the flight
 This autopilot mode is used to maintain a specific
heading 𝝍 such as a "radar vector" commanded by air
traffic control
 Use roll angle control as inner loop for heading control.
Maintain roll angle until required heading change is
obtained.
 Autopilot mode analysis/design, 2 important questions:
 Which type of control device do we use?
Rudder/Aileron
 What type of feedback loop structure (sensor)?
Sideslip Sensor, Gyro

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems
What about the reference input signal 𝜓𝑟 ?
The heading angle is defined on the mode control panel by
the pilot.
 The value of the heading 𝜓 is not directly available in our
model, we only have 𝛽, ∅, 𝑝, 𝑟.

We can get around this problem:

1. By using the kinematic relationship between 𝜓 and 𝑟, or
2. By looking at the force equations of an aircraft in a turn.

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

 sin ∅ cos ∅
𝜓=𝑞 +𝑟
cos 𝜃 cos 𝜃
Assume 𝑞 = 0, then
cos ∅
𝜓=𝑟
cos 𝜃

Assume 𝜃 is constant and 𝜙 is small, then

𝑟 𝑠
𝜓 𝑠 =
𝑠 cos 𝜃

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

𝐹𝑐 = 𝐿 sin 𝜙 = 𝑚𝑅𝑡 𝜓 2 = 𝑚𝑈𝜓

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

 𝑚𝑔 𝑚𝑔 sin ∅ 𝑔 sin ∅
𝐿= → 𝐿 sin ∅ = = 𝑚𝑈𝜓 → = 𝑈𝜓
cos 𝜙 cos ∅ cos ∅

𝑔
𝑔 tan 𝜙 = 𝑈𝜓 → 𝜓 = tan 𝜙
𝑈

For small 𝜙:

𝑔
𝜓 𝑠 = 𝜙(𝑠)
𝑈𝑠

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Approaches:

𝑟 𝑠
1. Use yaw rate: 𝜓 𝑠 =
𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃

𝑔
2. Use roll angle: 𝜓 𝑠 = 𝜙(𝑠)
𝑈𝑠

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Example:

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Flight Control Systems
Summary

 For each Hold autopilot there are two important

questions:
 Which type of control device?
 Which type of feedback? loop structure? sensors?
 Keep controller as simple as possible
 Proportional only (if acceptable)
 PD, PI, Lead/Lag, etc…
 The closed loop system must comply with the
airworthiness requirements

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems

Summary

 Take into account the inner loop, when constructing the

outer loop.
 Keep in mind the possible effects on the closed loop
system of:
 Servo break frequency
 Flight condition (airspeed, altitude)
 etc...

AAE – 342 Flight Control Systems