Real-Time Vision-Based Aircraft Vertical Tail Damage Detection and Parameter Estimation

Abstract

The need for reliable, fast, and accurate detection of fault is the key to fault-tolerant control reconfiguration of any flight control system. It is known that faults such as structural damage greatly modify the aerodynamic characteristics, often represented by stability and control derivatives. They also result in abrupt deterioration of flight performance and handling quality, which impairs safety. Since no detection technique is as reliable and fast as the Human Visual System (HVS), this paper demonstrates how popular vision algorithms such as edge detection and structural similarity index can be used for real-time detection of vertical tail damage of a fighter aircraft. A novel geometric method is proposed for fault identification using traditional mathematical geometry. Empirical techniques are used for the estimation of stability and control derivatives to generate a mathematical model of damaged aircraft instead of relying on expensive wind tunnel data. Flight mechanics analysis of the data generated confirms the effects of vertical damage in terms of reduction of static and dynamic directional stability and its control effectiveness. The parametrized state matrix thus obtained for the given flight condition thus leads to efficient real-time control reconfiguration of a damaged aircraft for safe recovery. The importance of this paper lies in using the established techniques of image processing for fault detection of damaged aircraft and parametrization for subsequent control reconfiguration, which is a novel application.

KEYWORDS:

• Aircraft
• Control reconfiguration
• Edge detection
• Fault tolerant
• Flight control
• Handling quality
• Lateral-directional stability
• Linear model
• Vertical tail
• Vision

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kishan S. Chowhan

Kishan S Chowhan is a research scholar (PhD) in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and a Senior Scientist at Aeronautical Development Agency, Bangalore. He recieved the BTech degree in electronics and communication engineering from VR Siddhartha Engg College, Vijayawada, in 1999 and MTech degree in digital electronics and communication systems from Malnad College of Engineering, Hassan, in 2002. His research areas include systems engineering, hardware design of onboard computers, and flight control laws for fault-tolerant flight control systems.

Hemendra Arya

Hemendra Arya is a professor of dynamics and controls in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He recieved the BE degree in mechanical engineering from MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur, in 1988 and MTech degree in aerospace engineering from IIT Bombay, in 1991. He earned his PhD degree in aerospace engineering from IIT Bombay, in 1997. His research areas include unmanned air vehicles, systems engineering, flight dynamics, and mechatronics. Email: [email protected]

Vijay V. Patel

Vijay V Patel is a senior member of the National Control Law Team (since 1995) for LCA and has been involved in the design, development, and testing of flight control systems. He obtained his PhD degree in the area of robust control from IIT Kharagpur and did his post-doctoral research at Virginia Tech, United States in the areas of flight control, coordinated path followed for unmanned aerial vehicles and adaptive flight control design for unmanned combat aerial vehicles. He is currently an Outstanding scientist and a group director, Flight Control Laws LCA Airforce at ADA Bangalore. Email: [email protected]

Girish S. Deodhare

Girish S Deodhare is currently a program director for combat aircrafts and the director of the Aeronautical Development Agency. He recieved the BTech degree in electrical engineering and MTech degree in control and instrumentation from IIT Bombay in 1984 and 1986, respectively. He earned his PhD degree in control theory from the University of Waterloo, Canada, in 1990. His research areas include design of control systems using both modern and classical techniques. Subsequently, he focused his attention on flight control and contributed to the design of the flight control system of India’s light combat aircraft. Email: [email protected]