ROBUST AND EFFICIENT REALTIME FLIGHT PATH OPTIMIZATION
Starting Date: July 2021
Head of Research Gorup: Prof. Matthias Gerdts (UniBwM)
Stakeholders:
- UniBwM (Institute of Mathematics and Applied Computing)
- TUM (Institute of Flight System Dynamics)
Abstract: The development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like multicopters or hybrid flight system configurations is a vastly emerging field with many innovative application fields, e.g., in logistics, urban air mobility, or inspection tasks for buildings. In parallel to the identification of new fields of applications the desire and request for automation of flight functionalities grows and will eventually result in autonomous flight systems. To this end the Munich Aerospace research group aims at the development of methods for the computation of optimal flight trajectories in realtime and their validation in experiments. The capability of computing flight trajectories in realtime is a prerequisite for autonomous flight systems. Herein it is essential to consider disturbances caused by the environment or system malfunctions and to obey safety constraints in a robust trajectory design approach. Remaining degrees of freedom can be exploited to optimize the flight trajectories with regard to energy efficiency, noise reduction, or flight time. On a technical level we will use model-predictive control techniques in combination with sensitivity updates and probabilistic constraints. Moreover, numerically efficient structure exploitation techniques will be developed and applied within the optimization framework.
INTELLIGENT CONTROL OF HIGHLY OVER-ACTUATED FLIGHT SYSTEMS
Starting Date: April 2022
Head of Research Gorup: Dr. Gertjan Looye (DLR)
Stakeholders:
- DLR (Institute of System Dynamics and Control)
- TUM (Institute of Flight System Dynamics)
- UniBwM (Institute of Flight Systems)
Abstract: The Munich Aerospace research group “Intelligent Control of Highly Over-Actuated Flight Systems” aims at developing advanced flight guidance and control (G&C) strategies pushing forward fully autonomous flight. The main challenge tackled thereby is an intelligent usage of the increasing number of actuators, which are introduced when implementing promising concepts like distributed electric propulsion or multi-functional movables. In order to allow for a safe aircraft operation even under extreme conditions and severe faults, the developed control strategies need to be capable to automatically detect occurring faults and reconfigure the G&C system accordingly. Besides an intelligent allocation of given actuators, this also involves an optimal adaption of the flight trajectory based on currently available aircraft performance as well as environmental and economic aspects. An additional focus is put on deriving new efficient methods for a systematic validation and verification of such intelligent G&C strategies paving the way for a broad applying in industry.
FORMAL VERIFICATION FOR CONTROL OF SAFETY CRITICAL SYSTEMS
Starting Date: October 2021
Head of Research Gorup: Prof. Gunther Reißig (UniBwM)
Stakeholders:
- UniBwM (Institute of Control Engineering)
- DLR (Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics)
Abstract: With recent advances in computational and communication devices and techniques, fully autonomous systems, e.g. autonomous ground vehicles, aircrafts, robots, and so on, are expected to become more and more present in future life due to the many benefits they offer. The main challenge in the development of such systems is on managing their complexity in the design process and implementation as well as during their operation. This Research Group will investigate the complexity issue for autonomous aerial systems. Using techniques for formal verification we will develop tools and approaches that should significantly improve the reliability and safety of autonomous aerial systems, and in turn, these results shall also contribute to the simplification of the certification process of these systems.
CERTIFIABLE AUTONOMY IN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES
Funding Period: October 2014 – September 2020
Head of Research Gorup: Prof. Gunther Reißig (UniBwM)
Stakeholders:
- UniBwM (Institute of Control Engineering)
- TUM (Assistant Professorship of Hybrid Control Systems)
GENERATING OPTIMAL REFERENCE TRAJECTORIES FOR AUTONOMOUS FLIGHT SYSTEMS FACTORING IN CONFIGURATION CHANGES
Funding Period: October 2011 – April 2016
Head of Research Group: Prof. Matthias Gerdts (UniBwM)
Stakeholders:
- TUM (Institute of Flight System Dynamics)
- UniBwM (Chair for Mathematical Engineering)
- Bauhaus Luftfahrt (Visionary Aircraft Concepts team)
MISSION-RELATED DESIGN, CONTROL AND EQUIPMENT
Funding Period: January 2012 – June 2017 as part of the Helmholtz Alliance project DLR@Uni
Head of Research Group: Dr. Konstantin Kondak (DLR)
Stakeholders:
- DLR (Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics)
- TUM (Institute of Flight System Dynamics, Institute of Aircraft Design, Chair of Helicopter Technology)
- UniBwM (Institute for Flight Systems)
- Bauhaus Luftfahrt (Visionary Aircraft Concepts team)