Chained smooth switching control for morphing aircraft

Considering the altitude-keeping and attitude-stabilization during the continuous transformation of the morphing aircraft, we propose a design method for the smooth switching state feedback controller. A class of chained smooth switched system model for the longitudinal motion is built. This model is more precise in approximating the transition dynamics than the hard switching scheme with arbitrary switching law; it can also reduce the conservatism of the control design. The sufficient condition is derived for ensuring the finite-time boundedness and the robustness performance of the chained smooth switched system. The design problem of the stability- enhancement controller is translated to an optimization problem involving linear matrix inequalities. Although the obtained controller relaxes the requirement of asymptotic stability, it guarantees that the system states to be boundedly stable during the variation process, and also synthesizes the elevator characteristics. The numerical example and nonlinear simulation are given to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.