Recurrent neural networks for aerodynamic parameter estimation with Lyapunov stability analysis

Abstract

Aircraft parameter estimation is crucial for designing accurate and reliable flight dynamic models, essential for integration into flight simulators and developing effective control laws. These parameters, encompassing aerodynamic characteristics, play a pivotal role in enhancing aircraft performance, safety and overall operational efficiency. This paper explores aircraft parameter estimation using two Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) approaches: (i) the weight-bias method (RNN-WB) and (ii) the gradient-based method (RNN-Gradient). RNN-WB is based on the Hopfield neural network and relies on pre-computation of weight and bias information, applying non-linearity to the states of the network. RNN-Gradient computes direct gradients and applies non-linearity to the error. Simulated flight data is employed in MATLAB implementations to assess estimation results, considering both performance metrics and computation time. The estimated parameters were also compared with estimates obtained from Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). A novel methodology is introduced to establish the asymptotic stability of RNN-WB and RNN-Gradient methods, utilizing the normalized Lyapunov energy functional. The asymptotic stability ensures the reliability and robustness of these techniques for parameter estimation. The RNN-Gradient shows a 20% performance improvement over RNN-WB. Satisfactory simulation results from both algorithms provide a promising foundation for their potential applications to real flight test data.

Keywords

• Recurrent neural networks
• Lyapunov energy function
• stability analysis
• aircraft parameter estimation