Control System Mechanization

This chapter introduces the control system mechanization of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), covering the system composition, system design, and development process of flight control systems (FCS) in the context of UAS. The chapter is divided into three main sections. The first section provides a general introduction of control fundamentals of UAS, including typical UAS system compositions, main types of flight control systems, and the design constraints of control systems on UAS. The second section provides a general discussion of the key components of UAS control systems. Various sensors for attitude determination and navigation, aerodynamic actuators and flight control computers, and other related components have been overviewed. The third section deals with design and development cycles of UAS control systems, where design methods, software-in-the-loop simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop tests are discussed. A number of specific features of FCS for UAS, particularly for small UAS, such as network communication and fail-safe control are highlighted and some practical issues and considerations are also presented.