INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND SCIENCES

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

CEP ASSIGNMENT:
APPLICATIONS OF MECHATRONICS TECHNOLOGIES IN
FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM

NAME MUHAMMAD RASHID

FACULTY FATIMA MAQBOOL
SEMESTER SUMMER-2022
COURSE Principles of Applied Mechatronics IDE401(SU-
2022/M-14384)
 ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the creation and implementation of complex
mechatronic systems that primarily serve the Aerospace industry. This report covers basic
components such as flight control systems - ailerons. ladders, elevators, etc. Autopilot and Flight
also examines how his director component works.

INTRODUCTION.

Mechatronics brings together knowledge from mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science,
and automation technology. The earliest blueprint or concept for a vehicle used for flight can be traced
back to Leonardo DaVinci’s ornithopter. This was a device conceptualized to exactly mimic the flying
of birds. These concepts are widely used in the field of aviation and avionics. From the cockpit to the
tail, the aircraft consists of sensors, linkages and actuation mechanisms flight direction, aircraft position
and stability, safety, Flight and flight comfort, and many parameters like that. In this report, we look at
the evolution of flight control systems from the very beginning.
From flying DaVinci’s ornithopter to today's fly bio-optic systems used in airplanes. we too
Discuss future trends that have been the focus of the Aviation Academy without including them
Related mathematical models. What are flight controls? Why do we need them? To control a system
means to be able to maneuver it in a way that the desired output is attained. Flight controls, or flight
control systems, are essentially self-explanatory in their names. These systems consist of components
and subsystems that help a pilot man oeuvre the aircraft. A flight control system [1] essentially consists
of aerodynamic flight control surfaces, cockpit controls, linkages that connect flight surfaces to their
respective controls, and operating mechanisms to handle all parameters of flight such as angle of attack,
landing speed, thrust vectoring, directions of flight etc. Before we look at the needs of an aircraft, it is
important to see the flying and handling qualities of an aircraft. In the initial years of aircraft
development and constructions, mechanical controls were used to drive the operating mechanisms of
flight control. However, with the increase in payload capacity and size of aircraft, mechanical systems
needed a more efficient replacement. Fly-By-Wire, or FBW, is an electronic interface that replaces these
mechanical mechanisms in order to increase the speed, accuracy, efficiency, safety and ease of use of
flight controls. The evolution of flight control systems started more than a century ago, and seems to be
continuously progressing area in terms of the technological advancements. This historic timeline of
flight control systems can be broadly divided into five generations.

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 Primary Flight Controls
Although, throughout the historic timeline of flight control systems, there have been drastic changes
in the system operating mechanisms, a set of crucial control components has remained the same in
every system. The primary flight controls include:
1. Ailerons
2. Elevators
3. Rudders These set of primary flight controls are used to man oeuvre the direction of flight and
movement of the aircraft about the three axes.

Figure 1primary flight control system

1. Ailerons
Ailerons control the movement of the aircraft about the longitudinal axis. It maneuvers the aircraft in
the rolling motion, and maintains the lateral stability of the aircraft. Working of ailerons: The ailerons
are attached to the trailing edges of the aircraft’s wings. Both ailerons move in opposite directions in
relation to each other. When the control stick or control wheel of the right aileron is moved, the right
aileron turns upwards, while the left aileron moves downwards. Thus, the lift under the right wing
decreases while that under the left-wing increases. Due to this increased lift under the left wing, the
aircraft turns towards right side.

2. Elevators
The elevators control the movement of aircraft about the lateral axis, and manoeuvres the aircraft
in pitching motion. It ensures the horizontal and longitudinal stability of the aircraft.
The elevators are placed on the tail of the aircraft. When the elevators go up, there is less lift on
the tail, and so, the tail is pushed down and the nose is pitched up. Similarly, when the elevators go
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down, the tail is pushed upwards so the nose is pitched down.

3. Rudders
Rudders are used to maintain the directional stability of an aircraft and manoeuvre it in the yawing
motion. Rudders are mounted on the back edge of the fin on the empennage of the aircraft. When the
rudder is turned to right, the tail is pushed towards the left side, and thus the nose of the aircraft is yawed
to the right side. Similarly, pushing the left pedal causes the rudder to move left; this causes the tail to
turn towards the right side and thus the aircraft nose is yawed to the left side.

. Avionics – Applied Mechatronics in Aircrafts

With advancements in avionics, the large number of instruments that perform crucial functions
have now been merged into one advanced electronic instrument known as the Primary Flight Display
(PFD). The PFD shows data such as airspeed, altitude, turn coordination, vertical speed, etc. on a
single display unlike the traditional system of multiple dial gauges.

Figure 2 primary flight display

Autopilot
An autopilot is a tool that engages the aircraft’s hydraulic, mechanical and electronic systems in
order to maintain the stable flight trajectory of the aircraft. It aids in many times intensive functions,
allowing the pilot to focus on the overall status of aircraft and flight.
The autopilot system is used in tandem with another integrated system called the Flight Director
(FD) component. While the autopilot controls the flight trajectory, coordination and stability in level
flights, the FD component gives it the additional capability to control flights in case of changing
altitudes, intercepting a selected course of flight, and tracking navigation sources with crosswinds.

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Working of Autopilot functions:
Once autopilot has been engaged, it works in 2 broad stages:
• It determines the control movements required to follow the profile of flight entered by the pilot. To
make these determinations of control movements required to follow the flight profile, the autopilot
takes data from the ADC for airspeed and altitude, engages the magnetic head reference and takes
assistance of the navigation systems.
• It actuates the control surfaces and moves other required controls to follow the flight profile. The
autopilot consists of servos, which are the electromechanical devices that carry out the actuation of the
required control surfaces.

Future Scope of Flight Control Systems

While flight control systems are ever evolving with advancements in all streams of research and
engineering, one major trend is the inclination towards active control systems as opposed to the
conventional passive control systems.
Active and Passive Control
Active Control is the kind of system that requires external power source for operation. Active
control in aircraft would essentially mean needing externally supplied power to manoeuvre the control
surfaces of the aircraft.
Passive Control is the exact opposite of active control in that it does not need an external source
of power. Passive control systems make use of structural motion to dissipate the seismic energy, or
isolates vibrations so that the response of structure can be controlled.
Due to the absence of external power requirements, passive controls have been long favored for
avionic applications. However, the trend toward active control is gaining rightful momentum, as it
will lead to improvements in the flight control by countering the aerodynamic effects that come with
the structural motion of the aircraft. Moreover, by eliminating the need for moving parts, active
control will not only make the system more accurate; it will reduce the risk of damage that comes
with mechanical parts.
Using Plasma Actuators for Active Flow Control
The following reasons are what make plasma aerodynamic actuators 8 so attractive for active
control of flight:
• They are characterized by low weight.
• They are compatible with the exiting aerodynamic surfaces.
• Due to absence of moving parts, they have high dynamic responses.
• They are easy to manufacture.

Basic Principle Governing Plasma Actuation

Plasma actuation is predicated on the principle of electrohydrodynamic interaction generated by
the so-called ionic wind. The plasma actuation apparatus consists of two electrodes – a cathode and
an anode. When high volt AC is passed through the electrodes, high electric fields are generated at the
tangent to the control surface, which produces an ionized boundary layer. The ionized air particles
are then accelerated using the externally applied voltage in order to generate force F, which is given
by the following equation:
F = (ni – ne)E
where,
• ni is the ion density
• ne is the electron density
• E is the electric field of acceleration.

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Conclusion
Mechatronics is a wide subject which is used in every single instrument and field. Aerospace is a
busiest field in this era. mechatronics is used in different aircrafts, basically mechatronics is
combination of three fields which are electronics, mechanical and computer science. Aerospace is
field which I think is purely mixture of these field so mechatronic widely and mostly studied and
apply in this field. Here in this report, I described the parts and types which are relates to this field. I
Described the basic components and operations of a generalized flight controller system; from a
purely mechanical light fryer, new avionics of fly-by-wire and fly-bioptics were described. Form
future scope. A brief overview of an active control system with plasma actuators has been given.
References.
• https://www.slideshare.net/nyinyikyaw/basic-aircraft-control-system-7376945
• http://airguardian.net/projects/fly-by-wire-project/
• https://www.britannica.com/technology/ornithopter
• https://prezi.com/ra7owemi5org/hydraulic-flight-
control/?frame=f6ea308230797bd09342404fc5a1ee9100b3a6c6
• https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/media/08_phak
_ch6.pdf

Each module has two electric MCD EPOS engines, an encoder (Baumer: BFG 1N.24B 8192-E2-F),
an electromagnetic brake, and a slip ring that transfers data from the drive unit to the on-board
computer while minimizing cable tangling and allowing for 360-degree rotation of the module. Pay
close attention to the method for regulating the propulsion and twisting specific modules. The vertical
axis cannot be aligned and maintained in its angular position by any specific device. The difference

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in the engines' torque determines whether the intended position can be maintained. The engines
control their rate of rotation until the vertical axis is in the next needed angular position. The idea of
managing the driving unit is depicted in Figure 4.

Figure 4 The principle of torque control for the driving unit.

THE ELECTRIC ENGINE MECHATRONIC SYSTEMS MCD EPOS

Each drive unit has a sophisticated MCD EPOS engine at its core. Each module has two MCD EPOS
engines, one of which is programmable (P), as opposed to the second engine (S), which is not (Slave).
After being programmed, the MCD EPOS P engine may control and run another engine (up to eight
engines). This is accomplished via the controller's (PLC's) internal intelligence, which is housed in
the programmable engine. The fundamental components from which an intelligent electric engine is
built are shown in Figure 5.

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 Figure 5 MCD EPOS electric engine.

The cargo vehicle's self-driving Control system

The mobile vehicle's steering system is made up of numerous subsystems, each of which performs a
different role. We can differentiate between the user layer, the application layer, and the physical layer
(hardware). The physical layer was built using a Pentium 1.8 GHz industrial computer as a foundation.
A variety of inputs are available on the computer, including 4xUSB, COM port, Ethernet, VGA, and
RS232. A Wi-Fi antenna that was external was utilized for wireless data transfer. The mechanical,
electronic, and steering system components must work closely together for the autonomous transport
vehicle to achieve the intended trajectory. The mobile vehicle's steering system is made up of
numerous subsystems, each of which performs a different role. We can differentiate between the user
layer, the application layer, and the physical layer (hardware). The physical layer was built using a
Pentium 1.8 GHz industrial computer as a foundation. A variety of inputs are available on the
computer, including 4xUSB, COM port, Ethernet, VGA, and RS232. A Wi-Fi antenna that was
external was utilized for wireless data transfer. The mechanical, electronic, and steering system
components must work closely together for the autonomous transport vehicle to achieve the intended
trajectory.

Figure 6 The steering system's architecture.

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A DC/DC converter with voltages of 24 [V] 12 [V] and 12 [V] 5 [V] is also a part of this system. The
first of the above converters is utilized to supply the on-board computer with emergency power, while
the second converter is required to power the ultrasonic and infrared sensors. The steering system has
two modes: manual and autonomous. For viewing the working area of mobile platforms, sensors, the
current battery level, current power consumption, and impediments, a graphical user interface has
been developed. It should be emphasized that the kinematic model of the object served as additional
support for the localization system in addition to data from the sensors.

CONCLUSION
It is a very complex procedure to develop the product and mechatronic subsystems. Many engineers
find it difficult to create and deploy the autonomous transportation system with the dynamic steering
system. The outcomes of research on a mobile transport platform prototype are presented in this paper.
The tasks and completed work are focused on the design, programming, logistics, and execution of
the complicated mechatronic product with an interdisciplinary nature. It should be underlined that
none of the earlier works underwent simulation tests; nonetheless, a physical prototype was executed
and tested.