A Closed-Loop Optimal Neural-Network Controller to Optimize Rotorcraft Aeromechanical Behaviour: Output from Two Sample Cases - Volume 2

A closed-loop optimal neural-network controller technique was developed to optimize rotorcraft aeromechanical behaviour. This technique utilities a neural-network scheme to provide a general non-linear model of the rotorcraft. A modem constrained optimisation method is used to determine and update the constants in the neural-network plant model as well as to determine the optimal control vector. Current data is read, weighted, and added to a sliding data window. When the specified maximum number of data sets allowed in the data window is exceeded, the oldest data set is and the remaining data sets are re-weighted. This procedure provides at least four additional degrees-of-freedom in addition to the size and geometry of the neural-network itself with which to optimize the overall operation of the controller. These additional degrees-of-freedom are: 1. the maximum length of the sliding data window, 2. the frequency of neural-network updates, 3. the weighting of the individual data sets within the sliding window, and 4. the maximum number of optimisation iterations used for the neural-network updates.