SIMULATION OF AN UNMANNED AIRCRAFT FLIGHT IN MATLAB SIMULINK

Abstract

In this article, a simulation model of an unmanned aerial vehicle in Matlab Simulink has been developed. To build a simulation model, a mathematical description of the equations of motion of an aircraft (AC) is performed: kinematic and dynamic models with six degrees of freedom and twelve state variables, and a mathematical description of external forces acting on the aircraft is also performed. The simulation model includes several blocks that interact with each other to ensure the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle: the air craft dynamics unit, which is responsible for simulating the movement of the aircraft in three dimensions, the autopilot unit, which simulates the operation of the aircraft navigation system and provides stabilization in the air, the control unit engines, which regulates the speed of rotation of the engines depending on the control signals, an external environment block that simulates the air environment in which the aircraft moves. The main advantage of the constructed model is the ability to change the parameters of the aircraft interactively and evaluate the main parameters using graphs. The correctness of the autopilot operation is confirmed by the graphs of transient processes along the three axes of the aircraft: roll, pitch, yaw. In the future, based on the constructed model, it is possible to create a fully automatic obstacle avoidance system that will allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to safely move from the start to the end point, taking into account all the obstacles in the flight path. Thus, the simulation model of an unmanned aerial vehicle based on Simulink makes it possible to evaluate the operation of the autopilot and other aircraft systems with high accuracy and detail. Its use can be useful in the design and testing of new unmanned aerial vehicles.