The Development of Neural Network Based System Identification ...

3.4 FLIGHT INSTRUMENTATION SETUP FOR AUTOMATIC FLIGHT CONTROL TEST 67
Figure 3.9
The servo locking mechanism of the rotational motion (roll, pitch and yaw) of the test rig.
3.4 FLIGHT INSTRUMENTATION SETUP FOR AUTOMATIC
FLIGHT CONTROL TEST
The overall architecture for an automatic flight control system consists of components
such as the remote controlled (RC) helicopter platform, the flying test stand, an
on-board computer systems and a ground control station (GCS) as shown in Figure
3.10. Generally, the automatic flight control system is divided into ground and onboard
components. The altitude (linear position transducer) and translational position
(rotary encoders) sensors are mounted on the test stand and wire connected to the
on-board computer’s digital input-output (DIO) port. The on-board computer system is
considered the most important part in the overall system. It functions as a data logger
in charge of collecting necessary flight data from sensors and servo inputs, handling
switching between autonomous control and manual control as well as implementing
flight control laws. The manual control system, which is normally a radio controlled
joystick transmitter, is used by a human pilot to control the helicopter in manual flight
tests. The standard RC system serves as a backup in case the autopilot fails and it
is also very useful in the process of controller design. Lastly, the GCS system is used
as on-line monitoring of the UAV helicopter and to communicate with the on-board
computer system to control some logical states and controller settings from ground.