Skip to main content

Design and Hardware-in-the-Loop Integration of a UAV Microavionics System in a Manned–Unmanned Joint Airspace Flight Network Simulator

  • Chapter
Book cover Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Abstract

One of the challenges for manned-unmanned air vehicles flying in joint airspace is the need to develop customized but scalable algorithms and hardware that will allow safe and efficient operations. In this work, we present the design of a bus-backboned UAV microavionics system and the hardware-in-the-loop integration of this unit within a joint flight network simulator. The microavionics system is structured around the Controller Area Network and Ethernet bus data backbone. The system is designed to be cross-compatible across our experimental mini-helicopters, aircrafts and ground vehicles, and it is tailored to allow autonomous navigation and control for a variety of different research test cases. The expandable architecture allows not only scalability, but also flexibility to test manned-unmanned fleet cooperative algorithm designs at both hardware and software layer deployed on bus integrated flight management computers. The flight simulator is used for joint simulation of virtual manned and unmanned vehicles within a common airspace. This allows extensive hardware-in-the-loop testing capability of customized devices and algorithms in realistic test cases that require manned and unmanned vehicle coordinated flight trajectory planning.

This work is funded partially by DPT HAGU program administered by ITU ROTAM.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Aksugur, M., Inalhan, G., Beard, R.: Hybrid propulsion system design of a vtol tailsitter UAV. In: Wichita Aviation Technology Conference, Wichita, August 2008

    Google Scholar 

  2. Arslan, O., Armagan, B., Inalhan, G.: Development of a mission simulator for design and testing of C2 algorithms and HMI concepts across real and virtual manned-unmanned fleets. In: Hirsch, M.J., Commander, C.W., Pardalos, P.M., Murphey, R (eds.) Optimization and Cooperative Control Strategies. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer (2008, in press)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cetinkaya, A., Karaman, S., Arslan, O., Aksugur, M., Inalhan, G.: Design of a distributed c2 architecture for interoperable manned/unmanned fleets. In: 7th International Conference on Cooperative Control and Optimization, Gainesville, February 2007

    Google Scholar 

  4. Christiansen, R.S.: Design of an Autopilot for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Msc, Brigham Young University (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cummings, M.L., Guerlain, S.: An tnteractive decision support tool for real-time in-flight replanning of autonomous vehicles. In: AIAA 3rd “Unmanned Unlimited” Technical Conference, Workshop and Exhibit, pp. 1–8, Chicago, 20–23 September 2004

    Google Scholar 

  6. Elston, B.J., Frew, E.: A distributed avionics package for small uavs. In: AIAA Infotech at Aerospace. Arlington, September 2005

    Google Scholar 

  7. Evans, J., Inalhan, G., Jang, J.S., Teo, R., Tomlin, C.J.: Dragonfly: A versatile uav platform for the advancment of aircraft navigation and control. In: Proceedings of the 20th Digital Avionics System Conference, Daytona Beach, October 2001

    Google Scholar 

  8. Gavrilets, V., Shterenberg, A., Martinos, I., Sprague, K., Dahleh, M.A., Feron, E.: Avionics system for aggressive maneuvers. IEEE Aerosp. Electron. Syst. Mag. 16, 38–43 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Hollan, J., Hutchins, E., Kirsh, D.: Distributed cognition: Toward a new foundation for human-computer interaction research. ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact. 7, 174–196 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. How, J., Kuwata, Y., King, E.: Flight demonstrations of cooperative control for uav teams. In: 3rd Conference Unmanned Unlimited Technical Conference, Chicago, September 2004

    Google Scholar 

  11. Inalhan, G., Stipanovic, D.M., Tomlin, C.: Decentralized optimization, with application to multiple aircraft coordination. In: IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Las Vegas, December 2002

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jang, J.S.: Nonlinear Control Using Discrete-Time Dynamic Inversion Under Input Saturation: Theory and Experiment on the Stanford Dragonfly UAVs. PhD, Stanford University, November (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Johnson, E.N., Schrage, D.P.: The Georgia Tech unmanned aerial research vehicle: Gtmax. In: Proceedings of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, Austin, 11–14 August 2003

    Google Scholar 

  14. Karaman, S., Aksugur, M., Baltaci, T., Bronz, M., Kurtulus, C., Inalhan, G., Altug, E., Guvenc, L.: Aricopter : aerobotic platform for advances in flight, vision controls and distributed autonomy. In: IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, Istanbul, June 2007

    Google Scholar 

  15. Karaman, S., Inalhan, G.: Large-scale task/target assignment for uav fleets using a distributed branch and price optimization scheme. In: Int. Federation of Automatic Control World Congress (IFAC WC’08), Seoul, June 2008

    Google Scholar 

  16. Koyuncu, E., Ure, N.K., Inalhan, G.: A probabilistic algorithm for mode based motion planning of agile air vehicles in complex environments. In: International Federation of Automatic Control World Congress, Seul, July 2008

    Google Scholar 

  17. Mutlu, T., Comak, S., Bayezit, I., Inalhan, G., Guvenc, L.: Development of a cross-compatible micro-avionics system for aerorobotics. In: IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, Istanbul, June 2007

    Google Scholar 

  18. Bear: Berkeley aerobot team homepage. University of California: Berkeley Robotics Laboratory. http://robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu/bear/ (2008)

  19. GPL OpenSource: The flightgear flight simulator (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Shim, D.H., Sastry, S.: A situation-aware flight control system design using real-time model predictive control for unmanned autonomous helicopters. In: AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, vol. 16, pp. 38–43, Keystone, 21–24 August 2006

    Google Scholar 

  21. Ure, N.K., Koyuncu, E.: A mode-based hybrid controller design for agile maneuvering uavs. In: International Conference on Cooperative Control and Optimization, Gainesville, 20–21 February 2008

    Google Scholar 

  22. Valenti, M., Schouwenaars, T., Kuwata, Y., Feron, E., How, J.: Implementation of a manned vehicle - UAV mission system. In: AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, Providence, 16–19 August 2004

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gokhan Inalhan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Ates, S., Bayezit, I., Inalhan, G. (2008). Design and Hardware-in-the-Loop Integration of a UAV Microavionics System in a Manned–Unmanned Joint Airspace Flight Network Simulator. In: Valavanis, K.P., Oh, P., Piegl, L.A. (eds) Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9137-7_20

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics