Software-in-the-loop simulation of a quadcopter portion for hybrid aircraft control

In this paper, we present the design of the software-in-the-loop simulation framework for a quadcopter that is incorporated in our hybrid aircraft. The hybrid aircraft comprises a quad-copter and a fixed wing with one forward thrust rotor. We need to develop a split control system that utilizes a typical quadcopter controller to control four motors/propellers and a supervisor controller to control a forward thrust rotor. The supervisor controller shall take feedback signals from the quadcopter and will command the fifth rotor for stabilizing the hybrid aircraft and resolves problems like thrust saturation. The simulation simulates the control algorithm and verifies the quadcopter's behavior using MATLAB and Simulink together. Achieving these results, we come to know how our hybrid controller will be implemented, what results to expect once the forward thrust rotor is attached to the quadcopter. The software-in-the-loop simulation of a quadcopter is one of the most effective methods for verifying overall control performance and safety of the hybrid aircraft before actual hardware implementation and flight test. (paper)