laboratory guide

3 DOF Helicopter Experiment for MATLAB /Simulink Users

Developed by:
Jacob Apkarian, Ph.D., Quanser
Michel Lvis, M.A.SC., Quanser
Cameron Fulford, M.A.SC., Quanser

Quanser educational solutions

are powered by:

Captivate. Motivate. Graduate.

PREFACE
Preparing laboratory experiments can be time-consuming. Quanser understands time constraints of teaching
and research professors. Thats why Quansers control laboratory solutions come with proven practical
exercises. The courseware is designed to save you time, give students a solid understanding of various
control concepts and provide maximum value for your investment.
Quanser 3 DOF Helicopter courseware materials are supplied in a format of the Laboratory Guide. The Lab
Guide contains lab assignments for students.
This courseware is prepared for users of The MathWorks MATLAB/Simulink software in
conjunction with Quansers QUARC real-time control software. A version of the course
material for National Instruments LabVIEW users is also available.

The following material provides an abbreviated example of in-lab procedures for the 3 DOF Helicopter
experiment. Please note that the examples are not complete as they are intended to give you a brief
overview of the structure and content of the courseware materials you will receive with the plant.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE ...................................................................................................................... PAGE 1

INTRODUCTION TO QUANSER 3 DOF HELICOPTER COURSEWARE SAMPLE .............. PAGE 3
LABORATORY GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................ PAGE 3
BACKGROUND SECTION SAMPLE ............................................................................ PAGE 4
LAB EXPERIMENTS SECTION SAMPLE ...................................................................... PAGE 6

1. INTRODUCTION TO QUANSER 3 DOF HELICOPTER COURSEWARE SAMPLE

Quanser courseware materials provide step-by-step pedagogy for a wide range of control challenges. Starting
with the basic principles, students can progress to more advanced applications and cultivate a deep
understanding of control theories. Quanser 3 DOF Helicopter courseware covers topics, such as:
Derivation of simple dynamic model
State space representation
State-feedback control
LQR control design
Control parameter tuning

2.

LABORATORY GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS

The full Table of Contents of the 3 DOF Helicopter Laboratory Guide is shown here:
1. PRESENTATION
1.1. DESCRIPTION
1.2. PREREQUISITES
2. EXPERIMENT FILES OVERVIEW
3. MODELING
3.1. DYNAMICS
3.2. STATE-SPACE MODEL
4. CONTROL DESIGN
4.1. STATE-FEEDBACK
4.2. LINEAR QUADRATIC REGULATOR
5. LAB PROCEDURES
5.1. MAIN COMPONENTS
5.2. CONTROLLER SIMULATION
5.2.1.
OBJECTIVES
5.2.2.
PROCEDURE
5.3. CONTROLLER IMPLEMENTATION
5.3.1.
OBJECTIVES
5.3.2.
PROCEDURE: 3 DOF HELICOPTER
5.3.3.
PROCEDURE: 3 DOF HELICOPTER WITH ADS
6. TECHNICAL SUPPORT
7. REFERENCES

3. BACKGROUND SECTION - SAMPLE

Dynamics
The free-body diagram of the 3 DOF Helicopter is illustrated in Figure 3.1 and accompanies the Maple
worksheet named 3 DOF Helicopter Equations.mws or its HTML equivalent 3 DOF Helicopter Equations.html.
The equations can be edited and re-calculated by executing the worksheet using Maple.
The 3 DOF Helicopter modeling conventions used are:
1. The helicopter is horizontal when the elevation angle equals = 0
2. The travel angle increases positively,
, when the body rotates in the counter-clockwise
(CCW) direction
3. The pitch angle is positive, (t) > 0, when the front motor is higher than the back motor
The 3 DOF Helicopter model that is used in this laboratory is analogous to a tandem rotor helicopter such as
the Boeing HC-1B Chinook illustrated in Figure 3.2. As described in the FBD shown in Figure 3.1, the pitch of
the helicopter, , is the rotation of the helicopter about a line perpendicular to the length of the body
located at the centre of gravity. For example, the illustration in Figure 3.2 would have a positive pitch given
that the nose of the helicopter is above the horizon. The elevation axis is defined as a line parallel to the
length of the body, at the base coordinate frame. Therefore, a change in the elevation angle, , translates
into a change in the ''altitude'' of the helicopter as it rotates about the base frame. For example, if the
helicopter shown in Figure 3.2 were rotating about an imaginary elevation axis, it might have a slightly
negative elevation since the base of the helicopter is visible. Finally, the travel axis is defined as a vertical
line at the base coordinate frame perpendicular to the elevation axis. A change in the travel angle, ,
translates into forward flight about the travel axis. For example, if the helicopter shown in Figure 3.2 were
attached to an imaginary travel axis limiting its mobility, forward flight would result in a circular trajectory
about the base frame.
The worksheet goes through the kinematics of the system. Thus describing the front motor, back motor,
helicopter body, and counterweight relative to the base coordinate system shown in Figure 3.1. These
resulting equations are used to find the potential energy and translational kinetic energy of the front motor,
back motor, and counterweight of the system. The thrust forces acting on the elevation, pitch, and travel
axes from the front and back motors are defined and made relative to the quiescent voltage or operating
point.
(3.1)
where the parameters are defined in [1].

Figure 3.1: Free-body diagram of 3 DOF Helicopter .

Figure 3.2: Translation of the free-body diagram onto a Boeing HC-1B Chinook.

4. LAB EXPERIMENTS SECTION - SAMPLE

Controller Simulation
Objectives
Investigate the closed-loop position control performance using a linear model of the 3 DOF Helicopter
system
Ensure that the controller does not saturate the actuator.
Procedure
Follow these steps to simulate the closed-loop response of the 3 DOF Helicopter :
1. Open Simulink model s_heli3d.mdl, shown in Figure 5.1.

Figure 5.1: Simulink model s_heli3d.mdl used to simulate closed-loop response of the 3 DOF Helicopter system

2. Run the Matlab script setup_lab_heli_3d.m to load the state-space model matrices and the control gain
K.
3. To generate a desired elevation step of 7.5 degrees at 0.04 Hz frequency, open the Desired Angle from
Program subsystem and set the Amplitude: Elevation (deg) gain block to 7.5 degrees and Frequency
input box in the Signal Generator: Elevation block to 0.04 Hz.
4. To generate a desired travel step of 30 degrees at 0.03 Hz frequency set the Amplitude: Travel (deg)
block to 30.0 degrees and the Frequency input box in the Signal Generator: Travel block to 0.03 Hz.
5. In the Scopes subsystem, open the elevation (deg), pitch (deg), travel (deg) and the Vm (V) scopes.
6. Click on Start Simulation to simulate the closed-loop response. The elevation and travel angles (purple
trace) should track the corresponding desired position signals (yellow trace) in each scope. Examine the
voltage in the Vm (V) scope and ensure the front (yellow plot) and back motor (purple plot) are not
saturated. Recall that the maximum peak voltage that can be delivered to the motor by the is 24 V and
that the controller implemented on the actual system includes the operation voltage, Vop. The
operation voltage is approximately 7.5 V and this will be added to the resulting control output.

7. Try changing the desired elevation and travel angles to familiarize yourself with the controller. Observe
that rate limiters are placed in the desired position signals to eliminate any high-frequency changes. This
makes the control signal smoother which places less strain on the actuator.
Procedure: 3 DOF Helicopte with ADS
Follow the steps described below to implement the designed controller in real-time and observe its effect
on the 3 DOF Helicopter with Active Disturbance System (ADS) plant:
1. Open Simulink model q_heli3d_w_ads.mdl shown in Figure 5.5 that implements a sample LQR controller
on the 3 DOF Helicopter with ADS plant. The model runs your actual 3 DOF Helicopter with the ADS
plant by directly interfacing with your hardware through the QUARC blocks, as discussed in [1]. The 3
DOF Helicopter System subsystem is basically the Simulink model described in Figure 5.2. The helicopter
controller is not engaged until the Active Disturbance is calibrated (i.e. 0 V is fed to the helicopter motor
until the ADS is homed).

Figure 5.5: Simulink model q_heli3d_w_ads_q8 implements an LQR controller on the 3 DOF Helicopter with
Active Disturbance system.

2. Open the design file setup_lab_heli_3d.m and ensure everything is configured correctly.
Note: Make sure the WITH_ADS parameter in the setup_lab_heli_3d.m file is set to YES. This indicates
to the automatically designed controller that the active disturbance is being used.
3. Execute the setup_lab_heli_3d.m script to setup the workspace before compiling the diagram and
running it in real-time with QUARC.
4. Click on QUARC | Build to compiled the Simulink diagram.
5. Open the elevation (deg), travel (deg), and Vm (V) scopes from the Scopes folder. These scopes display
both the desired and measured angles of the Helicopter as well as the voltages being applied to the
front and back motors.
Caution: Make sure the motor input voltage does not go between negative and positive very often!
Having the controller go across the 0V line often can cause damage to the amplifiers.

Aerospace plants for teaching and research

2 DOF Helicopter

3 DOF Helicopter

Qball-X4

3 DOF Hover

Qbot

Quanser Aerospace plants are ideal for intermediate or advanced level teaching. They are
also suitable for research relating to traditional or modern control applications of aerospace
engineering. For more information please contact info@quanser.com.
2013 Quanser Inc. All rights reserved.

INFO@QUANSER.COM

+1-905-940-3575

Solutions for teaching and research. Made in Canada.

QUANSER.COM