Optimal switching control for Morphing aircraft with Aerodynamic Uncertainty

A novel optimal switching attitude controller for variable-span and variable-sweep morphing aircraft is proposed based on approximate dynamic programming (ADP) and non-linear disturbance observer (NDO). Value iteration (VI) based ADP is utilized to solve the infinite horizon switching control problem with deterministic dynamics. To cope with the aero-dynamic uncertainty in morphing aircraft, a NDO and extra control for switching system are designed to compensate the disturbance caused by model uncertainty. Nonlinear simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Simulation results show that the proposed controller can coordinate morphing control and flight control to achieve optimal maneuvering under aerodynamic uncertainty.