Linear Parameter-Varying Polytopic Modeling and Control Design for Guided Projectiles

In this paper, a linear parameter varying (LPV) modeling and control design approach is applied to a new class of guided projectiles, aiming to exploit the advantages of the LPV framework in terms of guaranteed stability and performance. The investigated concept consists of a planar symmetric 155 mm fin-stabilized projectile equipped with a reduced amount of control actuators and characterized by a predominantly unstable behavior across the analyzed flight envelope. A dedicated modeling procedure allows reformulating the nonlinear projectile dynamics as a LPV polytopic system, employed for the controller design. The procedure intends to reduce the computational complexity and the conservativeness affecting the overall controller synthesis. A trajectory-tracking simulation scenario is performed in a realistic simulator environment to assess the performance of the resulting LPV polytopic autopilot across the entire flight envelope.