Enhancing Human Comfort in eVTOL Aircraft Assisted by Control Moment Gyroscopes

Abstract

AbstractThis study investigates the integration of Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) to enhance the comfort of human occupants in electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Our study encompasses not only the development of a dynamic model for the eVTOL by integrating the CMGs but also the implementation of backstepping sliding mode-based controllers for translation and attitude control. To simulate realistic disturbance scenarios, wind disturbance models and a motor dynamics model are considered to replicate practical rotor responses. To validate the performance of the proposed approach, comprehensive Monte-Carlo simulations under varying wind conditions are performed. In particular, the aircraft oscillations are analyzed in the frequency domain to focus on a specific frequency that causes human discomfort. The simulation results demonstrate that the use of CMGs not only alleviates oscillations induced by wind disturbances with low power consumption but also significantly enhances passenger comfort.