Adaptive synthetic jet actuator compensation for a nonlinear aircraft model at low angles of attack

A new technology for the control of next-generation airplanes using virtual wing shaping with synthetic jet actuators is presented. In this approach, an array of actuators is used to modify the aerodynamic performance of a wing and mimic control surface deflections. In the model, the control effect is represented with a nonlinear, parameterized model, derived from experimental data. An adaptive compensation scheme for the implementation of such actuator arrays on a nonlinear tailless aircraft model at low angles of attack has been developed. Adaptive inverse arrays (set of adaptive inverse models of the actuators) are employed for cancelling the effect of the jet nonlinearities. A nonlinear state feedback control law is designed, wherein a set of intermediate states are used as controls for other aircraft states. Parameter projection-based adaptive laws are used to ensure desired closed-loop stability.