Integrated supervised adaptive control for the more Electric Aircraft

The innovative concept of Electric Aircraft is a challenging topic involving different control objectives. For instance, it becomes possible to reduce the size and the weight of the generator by using the battery as an auxiliary generator in some operation phases. However, control strategies with different objectives can be conflicting and they can produce undesirable effects, even instability. For this reason an integrated control design approach is needed, such that stability can be guaranteed in any configuration. In other words, the design of the supervisory controller must be interlaced with that of low-level controllers. Moreover, uncertainties and noisy signals require robust control techniques and the use of adaptiveness in the control algorithm. In this paper, the use of a new adaptive sliding manifold design is proposed for increase robustness against uncertainties and noisy signals, together with a new supervisor exploiting the estimate of the region of attraction of the control laws. A bidirectional voltage converter aiming at recharging batteries and to use the battery to withstand generator overloads is addressed. Detailed and rigorous stability proofs are given for any control configuration, including the switching phases among different control objectives. Effectiveness of the proposed strategies is shown by using a detailed simulator including switching electronic components. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.