Flexible modelling and altitude control for powered parafoil system based on active disturbance rejection control

For the accurate altitude control of the powered parafoil system, a novel modelling method and control methodology are designed in this paper. Firstly, based on computational fluid dynamics, the proposed model can accurately simulate the actual flight state of the powered parafoil system. Then, the double closed-loop controller based on active disturbance rejection control is designed. With this methodology, the precise altitude control can be realised. By analysing the theory of active disturbance rejection control, the proposed control method will be stable and valid. At last, after the detailed verification in the hardware-in-the-loop simulations, the flight experiment is carried out. After the simulation with the proposed model, the adjusted controller parameters can be applied directly in the actual experiment. The results show that the proposed method can provide effective guidance to the flight experiment. It also proves the validity and effectiveness of the proposed modelling and control method.