A load alleviation application of an Elastic Motion Estimator for a flexible UAV

This work investigates the applicability of an algorithm for real time estimation of flexible structural motions, using an innovative sensors setup in the field of active control technologies (ACT), particularly, gust load alleviation (GLA). The innovative proposal, presented in this paper, is the coupling of an active control function, based on an optimal state feedback control law, with an algorithm able to elaborate onboard sensor measurements for real time estimation of structural motion. Another innovative aspect of this paper concerns the proposed setup, which integrates inertial measurements of accelerometers and gyros with the output of a vision based system with a target LED, positioned in a suitable point of the aircraft. The effectiveness and potentialities of the proposed approach are verified through numerical simulations, performed using a complete aeroelastic model of a flexible UAV, and a realistic modeling of sensors included in the proposed setup.