Design of a Morphing Aircraft Based on Model Predictive Control

Morphing aircraft can actively or passively change their shape in different flight environments and missions to ensure optimal flight performance at all flight stages, thereby enhancing environmental adaptability and meeting extensive multi-mission requirements. This paper proposes a stable flight control strategy for a variable-span aircraft based on Model Predictive Control (MPC). The Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) modeling approach is adopted to establish a longitudinal dynamic model that varies with the wingspan deformation rate. Without considering disturbances, a model predictive control strategy is designed to achieve dynamic stability control during flight. Considering the existence of composite disturbances during the morphing process, a robust model predictive control (RMPC) strategy is proposed, using set containment as the performance index. To verify the robustness of the control strategy, numerical tests are conducted under different wingspan deformation rates and disturbance intensities. The test results demonstrate that the RMPC strategy can effectively suppress external disturbances under various deformation rates, maintain stable flight speed and altitude, and ensure smooth transitions of critical flight state parameters such as angle of attack and pitch angle. These results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.