Synthetic Air Data System for Pitot Tube Failure Detection on the Variable Skew Quad Plane

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedings/Edited volumeConference contributionScientificpeer-review

38 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Pitot tube-free airspeed estimation methods exist for fixed-wing and multirotor configurations, but lack direct applicability to hybrid unmanned air vehicles due to their wide flight envelope and changing dynamics during transition. This work proposes a novel synthetic air data system for the Variable Skew Quad Plane (VSQP) hybrid vehicle to allow airspeed estimation from hover to high speed forward flight and provide pitot tube fault detection. An Extended Kalman Filter fuses Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and inertial measurements using model-independent kinematics equations to estimate wind and airspeed without the use of the pitot tube. The filter is augmented by a simplified vehicle force model. Pitot tube fault detection is achieved with a simple thresholding operation on the pitot tube measurement and the airspeed estimation residual. Accurate airspeed estimation was validated with logged test flight data, achieving an overall 1.62 m/s root mean square error. Using the airspeed estimation, quick detection (0.16 s) of a real-life abrupt pitot tube fault was demonstrated. This new airspeed estimation method provides an innovative approach for increasing the fault tolerance of the VSQP and similar quad-plane vehicles.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the AIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum
Number of pages23
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-62410-723-8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025
EventAIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum - Orlando, United States
Duration: 6 Jan 202510 Jan 2025

Conference

ConferenceAIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityOrlando
Period6/01/2510/01/25

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Synthetic Air Data System for Pitot Tube Failure Detection on the Variable Skew Quad Plane'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this