Microprocessor Adaptive Control for Aircraft ECS

Modern aircraft require always more reliable systems for both crew and passengers safety and comfort.

At present new ECS designs are very attractive for their low power consumption even in spite of the more complex structure. The strong changes in the system dynamics, over the complete working range of the ECS, lower the reliability of the conventional analog control systems which, due to their own structure, not capable to adapt to different working conditions, have to be designed only with reference to an averaged status. Adaptive controls are digital controls which adapt itself, step by step, to the system dynamics (identified with proper algorithms) and are capable to optimize the controller structure in each system working condition.

The present paper shows how adaptive controls, performed by microprocessors, can improve the ECS performances especially from the dynamics point of view.