International Conference on Control, Automation and Systems 2010

Oct. 27-30, 2010 in KINTEX, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Hardware-In-the-Loop Simulation Test for Actuator Control System of
Smart UAV
Chang-sun Yoo1, Young-shin Kang2 and Bum-jin Park3
1,2,3
Smart UAV Development Center, KARI, Daejon, Korea
1
(Tel : +82-42-860-2344; E-mail: csyoo@kari.re.kr)
2
(Tel : +82-42-860-2981; E-mail: yskang@ kari.re.kr)
3
(Tel : +82-42-860-2892; E-mail: bjpark@ kari.re.kr)

Abstract: The Smart UAV is the tilt rotor type of unmanned aerial vehicle that has been developed by KARI since
2002. According to the characteristics of tilt rotor aircraft, it has a flight envelope of VTOL(vertical take-off and
landing) and high cruise speed. Because the conversion flight between helicopter and airplane mode is required, the
actuator system of Smart UAV control surfaces has 12 actuators and 5 controllers for nacelle tilt as well as flaperon,
elevator and rotor. Based on Fly-By-Wire system, all actuators except for elevator are an electric linear type with dual
motors and RVDT sensors. Actuators for elevator are an electric rotary type with single motor and are equipped on each
control surface of two elevators. Controllers for activating actuators were developed in domestic company by
interfacing with flight control computer through ARINC 429 and with actuators through analog cable. To accomplish
the safe conversion flight between helicopter and airplane mode, a role change of control surfaces according to tilting
angle is also required on time. This requires the high reliable and accurate performance for actuator system that consists
of actuators, controllers and flight control computer. Prior to actual flight test, this actuator control system was tested
and evaluated by Hardware-In-Loop(HIL) simulation on the ground. This paper describes the configuration of actuator
control system and HILS system of Smart UAV and gives the results of HILS test.

Keywords : Smart UAV, tilt rotor, control surface, actuator, controller, Hardware-In-the-Loop simulation test

1. INTRODUCTION (HIL) simulation on the ground, which consists of

simulation computer, flight control computer, actuators
The Smart UAV with tilt rotor type of configuration
and actuator controllers. This paper describes the
has been developed by KARI since 2002. It has a flight
configuration of actuator control system and HILS
characteristic of VTOL(vertical take-off and landing) in
system of Smart UAV and gives the results of HIL
helicopter mode and high cruise speed in airplane mode.
simulation test.
In 2007, the conversion flight between helicopter and
airplane mode was conducted successfully with 40%
2. CONFIGURATION OF SYSTEM
scaled small aircraft. In 2008, the full automatic mission
flight including an automatic take-off and landing was 2.1 Smart UAV
accomplished with the same vehicle. Now the full The Smart UAV has length 5m, width 6m and
scaled aircraft is prepared for the first flight test. The MTOW 960Kg. Now the integration test for unmanned
actuator system for Smart UAV has 12 actuators – each system that consists of vehicle, ground control system,
actuator on left and right side of nacelle, flaperon, and communication system, is being done on the ground.
elevator, and three rotors. It also has 5 controllers – two PWC-206 turbo shaft engine is used. Its configuration is
for nacelle, one for flaperons and elevators, two for like Fig. 1.
rotors. Based on Fly-By-Wire system, all actuators are
electric type and had fault redundancy. Except for
elevator with single motor, all actuators have dual
motors and RVDT sensors. Controllers for activating
actuators were developed by domestic company based
on an interface with flight control computer by ARINC
429 and with actuators by analog cable. To accomplish
the safe conversion flight between helicopter and
airplane mode, a role change of control surfaces
according to tilting angle, for example, differential
collective control served for roll control in helicopter
mode but for yaw control in airplane mode, is also Fig. 1 The configuration of The Smart UAV
required on time. This requires the high reliable and
accurate function and performance for actuator system
that consists of actuators, controllers and flight control 2.2 Actuator control system
computer. Prior to actual flight test, this actuator control The Actuator of the Smart UAV is Moog 973, 974
system was tested and evaluated by Hardware-In-Loop and 975 series model. Especially, 974 actuators are

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manufactured for use to a nacelle tilt. The actuator
controller was designed and manufactured in domestic
company with the dual redundancy concept based on
Fly-By-Wire architecture. The actuator control system
that consists of flight control computer, actuator
controller and actuators is like Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4.
Twelve actuators and five controllers for nacelle tilt,
flaperon, elevator and rotor were used.
Fig. 2 The configuration of actuator control system
Fig. 3 The flaperon actuator controller
Fig. 4 The flaperon and rotor actuator mounted
on the air vehicle
2.3 HILS system
The HILS system of the Smart UAV actuator control
system provides the test rig to verify the reliability and
performance of actuator and control system. Actually in
2007 and 2008, the flight test with 40% small scaled
aircraft was conducted successfully through the system
verification by HIL test on the ground prior to flight test.
The system configuration for HIL test is like Fig. 5,
which consists of actuators, actuator controllers and test
environmental systems – digital flight control computer
(DFCC), ground control system (GCS) and simulation
computer.
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DFCC receives the control command from GCS and
transmits it to actuator controller, which returns
feedback positions of control surfaces to DFCC. DFCC
distributes the feedback position to simulation computer,
which calculates the flight dynamics and shows its
result on the 3D graphic display monitor. DFCC also
makes the closed control loop with simulation computer.
The update rate in DFCC is 50Hz and the one in
actuator controller is 1,000Hz.
GCS manages the control of air vehicle by internal
pilot, which gives the control command to DFCC and
monitors the status of air vehicle through the
information from DFCC, which provides not only
attitude, velocity and climbing rate of air vehicle but
also built-in test (BIT) results for onboard systems like
Fig. 7. The flight mode selection between an automatic
control and a manual control also is done in GCS by
internal pilot. The update rate in GCS is 50Hz.
The simulation computer calculates the mathematical
model of air vehicle according to the variation of
control surface obtained from DFCC and produces the
dynamic maneuver of air vehicle, which is represented
on the 3D graphic display like Fig. 8.
HILS test aims to evaluate the function and the
performance of actuator and its controller for full flight
envelope in the environment similar to the real one,
which includes not only the accuracy of position,
velocity, and a response time but also a switchover
between A and B channel based on the dual system. The
flight envelope of the Smart UAV consists of
characteristic mission flights each in helicopter mode,
conversion mode, and airplane mode. In HILS test, it’s
important to make up the mathematical model as exact
to a reality as possible.
Fig. 5 The configuration of HILS system
1730
 Fig. 6 The configuration of DFCC
Fig. 7 The display configuration in GCS
Fig. 8 The 3D display in simulation computer
3. HILS TEST
In HILS test, the hardware system except actuation
systems was replaced with simulated systems which are
made by mathematical models and aims to be verified
for a full flight envelope like Fig.9. It is focused on the
performance evaluation of flight control system – flight
control computer, actuator controllers, actuators and
operation flight program (OFP). Therefore DFCC gives
actuator controllers control commands derived from the
result of the flight simulation. The feedback position
from actuators also is transmitted to a simulation
computer and is used to calculate the maneuvers of
aircraft.
Fig. 9 Hardware-In-the-Loop simulation test
3.1 Nacelle tilt
The nacelle tilt is done automatically according to
velocity by flight control logic of DFCC within
conversion corridor defined from mathematical analysis
like Fig. 10. The nacelle has to be tilted within 45sec
between 90 degrees and 0 degrees, within ±1.0 deg in
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the difference between left and right nacelle under the
maximum load of 930kgf. It is operated by two
controllers in each side of left and right nacelle.
Fig. 10 The conversion corridor
3.2 Flaperon
The flaperon having the both role of a flap and an
aileron has to be operated under maximum load of
470kgf. It is operated by one controller in the electric
bay of air vehicle. The flaperon is operated from -10
deg to 60deg. The flap angle is 45 deg in helicopter
mode, 11deg in airplane mode and scheduled in the
conversion mode. The aileron to control the roll attitude
of air vehicle is not used in the helicopter mode but used
mainly in the airplane mode. In the helicopter mode, the
roll attitude is controlled by a differential collective
control of rotor.
3.3 Rotor
The rotors are the primary control surface of vehicle
in helicopter mode, the role of which hands over to
flaperon and elevator according to a transition into
airplane mode. In the helicopter mode, the roll attitude
is controlled by the differential collective control of
rotor and the directional control in yaw is done by the
differential cyclic control of rotor. In the airplane mode,
the roll attitude is controlled by flaperon and the
directional control in yaw is done by the differential
collective control. In the conversion mode, the transition
between helicopter and airplane mode is done. The
collective pitch angle of rotor is operated from 0 deg to
59 deg and the cyclic pitch angle of rotor is operated
from 0 deg to 10 deg. It also has to be operated under
maximum load of 470kgf by two controllers in each
side of left and right pylon.
3.4 Elevator
The elevator actuator consists of two actuators to left
and right control surface and is operated from -30 deg to
30 deg through control commands by way of a flaperon
controller in electric bay in air vehicle. The elevator is
used to control longitudinal maneuvers in the helicopter
mode as well as in the airplane mode.
4. TEST RESULTS
HILS test was done to evaluate the actuation system
that consisted of actuators, controllers and control
computer prior to flight test. The simulation was done
for all flight envelopes that consisted of automatic take
1731
off, conversion flight and mission flight in airplane 15
Rotor Governor

mode. The test focused on the possibility of a successful 10

flight in the environment of the HILS. 5

All actuators had to be operated normally without

deg
0

saturation or divergence of flight control in the HIL test -5

of full envelope flight like Fig.11. The response of

-10

-15
nacelle tilt actuator is like Fig. 11. In full envelope, the 0 500 1000 1500
t (sec)
2000 2500 3000

difference of tilt angle between left and right nacelle 2000

Rotor RPM

was 0.5 through -1.5 deg. The response of flaperon and

1500
elevator was like Fig. 13. The flaperon was operated
45deg to 9deg in each helicopter and airplane mode and

RPM
1000

the elevator was done from -10deg to 10 deg. 500

trajectory
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
t (sec)

1200 Fig. 14 The result of rotor and rotor governor

1000

800 In airplane mode, the response of flaperon and

elevator showed that each 0.4Hz, 0.9Hz oscillations
height(m)

600

400
with the amplitude of 15 deg to 25 deg, -5 deg to 15 deg
200
happened due to a time delay in flaperon system. The
rotor governor and the rotational speed of rotor resulted
0
3.4
3.38
from the rotor governor was operated like Fig. 14. The
3.36
3.838
3.84
3.842
rotor speed was kept constant each in 1605 rpm in the
helicopter mode and in 1284 rpm in the airplane mode
5
x 10 3.34 3.836
3.834 6
3.32 3.832 x 10

by the rotor governor. The rotor governor is operated

3.83
3.3 3.828
longitude(m)
latitude(m)

with rotor pitch angle of -10 deg to 10 deg. The result of

Fig. 11 The flight trajectory in HILS HILS test showed that the actuation system was
100
Left Nacelle operated normally for full flight envelope but had to be
Command
RVDT(
upgraded in a time delay of the flaperon system.
deg

50

0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
5. CONCLUSION
The Smart UAV that has been developed since 2002
t (sec)
Right Nacelle
100
Command
RVDT
is under the integrated ground tests prior to flight test.
HILS test was done to verify the function and the
deg

50

performance of the real actuation system that consisted

of actuator, controller and DFCC. The actuators and
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
t (sec)

1
Difference between Left and Right Nacelle
controllers of the Smart UAV are used for nacelle tilt,
0 flaperon, elevator and rotor. HILS test was conducted
deg

-1 for full flight envelope – automatic take off, conversion

-2
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
flight and mission flight in airplane mode.
t (sec)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Fig. 12 The result of nacelle tilt
50
Left Flaperon
Command
This research was performed for Smart UAV
40
RVDT
Development Program funded by the MKE (Ministry of
30
Knowledge and Economy) of Korea.
deg

20

10

REFERENCES
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
t (sec)
Right Flaperon
50 Command

40
RVDT
[1] C.S.Yoo, H.S.Choi, B.J.Park, Y.S.Kang, S.J.Ahn,
30
“Development of Non-linear Simulation
deg

20

10 Program for Tilt Rotor Aircraft”, Journal of

0
0 500 1000 1500
t (sec)
2000 2500 3000
Control Automatic System, Vol.11, No.3,
20
Elevator Command
RVDT p193~199, 2005
10
[2] C.S. Yoo, Y.S. Kang and B.J. Park, “Hardware-In-
the-Loop Test for Fault Diagnosis System of
deg

-10

-20
Tilt Rotor UAV”, ICCAS 2008, Oct.14-17, 2008,
COEX, Seoul, Korea
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
t (sec)

Fig. 13 The result of flaperon and elevator

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