Constrained control allocation - Three-moment problem

Abstract

This paper presents a method for the solution of the constrained control allocation problem for the case of three moments. The control allocation problem is to find the combination of several flight control effectors for the generation of specified body-axis moments. The number of controls is greater than the number of moments being controlled, and the ranges of the controls are constrained to certain limits. The controls are assumed to be individually linear in their effect throughout their ranges of motion and complete in the sense that they generate moments in arbitrary combinations. The best combination of controls is taken to be an apportioning of the controls that yields the greatest total moment in a specified ratio of moments without exceeding any control constraint. The method of solving the allocation problem is presented as an algorithm and is demonstrated for a problem of seven aerodynamic controls on an F-18 airplane.