WIND FRAME STATE ESTIMATION AND GUST REJECTION USING BIO-INSPIRED FLOW SENSORS

Abstract

Growing demand for robust, low-computation sensing and control of micro-air vehicles motivates development of new technology. A MEMS wind ow sensor has been developed in-house, drawing inspiration from setae structures seen in biology. The goal of this work is to validate the use of these new sensors for wind frame state estimation and gust rejection. Three of these sensors were mounted on the surface of a fuselage-like structure to estimate wind speed, angle of attack, and sideslip angle. Static linear and nonlinear estimation model structures and parameters were designed with time-domain equation-error system identication techniques. For small angles, state estimation was demonstrated for both estimation schemes. Gust rejection control was implemented to improve state regulation in the presence of a lateral gust stream. A robust controller was implemented and displayed lateral velocity and path perturbation attenuation.