Multi-mode switching in flight control

In this paper we propose a general framework for multi-mode switching in flight control. From the flight control design point of view, multi-mode switching between controllers corresponding to different modes of operation is needed in those cases when the transition from one mode to another results in substantial flight-critical variations in the aircraft dynamics. To address this problem, a general framework for multi-modal flight control is proposed. The framework is based on the Multiple Models, Switching and Tuning (MMST) methodology, combined with Model-Predictive Control (MPC), and the use of different robust mechanisms for switching between the multi-modal controllers. It was shown that many different switching control strategies can be naturally derived from the basic framework, which demonstrates the generality of the proposed approach. Simulations of the Boeing's Tailless Advanced Fighter Aircraft (TAFA) are included to illustrate the feasibility of the schemes rising from the proposed framework.