A Highly Adaptable Method of Managing Jets and Aerosurfaces for Control of Aerospace Vehicles

An actuator selection procedure is presented which uses linear programming to optimally specify bounded aerosurface deflections and jet firings in response to differential torque and/or force commands. This method creates a highly adaptable interface to vehicle control logic by automatically providing intrinsic actuator decoupling, dynamic response to actuator reconfiguration, dynamic upper bound and objective specification, and the capability of coordinating hybrid operation with multiple actuator families. The objective function minimized by the linear program is adapted to realize several goals; ie. discourage large aerosurface deflections, encourage use of certain aerosurfaces (speedbrake, body flap) as a function of vehicle state, minimize drag, contribute to translational control, and adjust the balance between jet firings and aerosurface activity during hybrid operation. A vehicle model adapted from Space Shuttle aerodynamic data is employed in simulation examples that drive the actuator selection with a six-axis vehicle controller tracking a scheduled reentry trajectory. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. Cambridge, MA. 02139 Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp.44-50, January-February (1991) A Highly Adaptable Method of Managing Jets and Aerosurfaces for Control of Aerospace Vehicles