Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 1/21

Chapter 2
Coordinate Frames
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 2/21
Reference Frames
In guidance and control of aircraft, reference frames
used a lot
Describe relative position and orientation of objects
Aircraft relative to direction of wind
Camera relative to aircraft
Aircraft relative to inertial frame
Some things most easily calculated or described in
certain reference frames
Newtons law
Aircraft attitude
Aerodynamic forces/torques
Accelerometers, rate gyros
GPS
Mission requirements
Must know how to transform
between different reference
frames
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 3/21
Rotation of Reference Frame
p = p
0
x
i
0
+p
0
y
j
0
+p
0
z
k
0
p = p
1
x
i
1
+p
1
y
j
1
+p
1
z
k
1
p
1
x
i
1
+p
1
y
j
1
+p
1
z
k
1
= p
0
x
i
0
+p
0
y
j
0
+p
0
z
k
0
p
1
4
=

p
1
x
p
1
y
p
1
z

i
1
i
0
i
1
j
0
i
1
k
0
j
1
i
0
j
1
j
0
j
1
k
0
k
1
i
0
k
1
j
0
k
1
k
0

p
0
x
p
0
y
p
0
z

p
1
= R
1
0
p
0
R
1
0
4
=

cos sin 0
sin cos 0
0 0 1

where
(rotation about k axis)
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 4/21
Rotation of Reference Frame
Right-handed rotation about j axis:
R
1
0
4
=

cos 0 sin
0 1 0
sin 0 cos

Right-handed rotation about i axis:

R
1
0
4
=

1 0 0
0 cos sin
0 sin cos

Orthonormal matrix properties:

P.1. (R
b
a
)
1
= (R
b
a
)
>
= R
a
b
P.2. R
c
b
R
b
a
= R
c
a
P.3. det

R
b
a

= 1
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 5/21
Rotation of a Vector
Left-handed rotation of p
p =

p cos( + )
p sin( + )
0

p cos cos p sin sin

p sin cos + p cos sin
0

q =

q cos
q sin
0

p
4
= |p| = q
4
= |q|
p =

cos sin 0
sin cos 0
0 0 1

q
= (R
1
0
)
>
q
q = R
1
0
p
R
1
0
can be interpreted
as left-handed rotation of
vector by angle
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 6/21
Inertial Frame and Vehicle Frame
Vehicle frame has same orientation
as inertial frame
Vehicle frame is fixed at cm of aircraft
Inertial and vehicle frames are referred
to as NED frames
N!x, E!y, D!z
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 7/21
Euler Angles
Need way to describe attitude of aircraft
Common approach: Euler angles
Pro: Intuitive
Con: Mathematical singularity
Quaternions are alternative for overcoming singularity
: heading (yaw)
: elevation (pitch)
: bank (roll)
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 8/21
Vehicle-1 Frame
: heading
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 9/21
Vehicle-2 Frame
: elevation (pitch)
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 10/21
Body Frame
: bank (roll)
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 11/21
Inertial Frame to Body Frame Transformation
p
b
= R
b
v
()p
v
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 12/21



Stability Frame
Stability frame helps us rigorously
define angle of attack and is useful
for analyzing stability of aircraft
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 13/21


Wind Frame
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 14/21


Wind Frame (continued)
Wind frame helps us rigorously
define side-slip angle
Side-slip angle is nominally zero
for tailed aircraft
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 15/21
!"#$%& (")*+
Airspeed, Wind Speed, Ground Speed
a/c wrt to inertial frame
expressed in body frame
wind wrt to inertial frame
expressed in body frame
a/c wrt to surrounding air
expressed in body frame
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 16/21
Airspeed, Angle of Attack, Sideslip Angle



Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 17/21
,-.!/( 0)(/ 0"#12*(2& #%(# !"#$%&
/#".3#%()- *#40#%2%(
#5 !"#$%&6022& 72*(#"
Course and Flight Path Angles
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 18/21
!"#$%& (")*+
!"#$%
Wind Triangle
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 19/21
V
g
V
w
V
a

i
b
Wind Triangle
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 20/21
When wind speed is zero!
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 21/21
Differentiation of a Vector

b/i
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 22/21
2
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
9
11
14
13
16
15
12
Project Aircraft
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 23/21
wing_l
fuse_l3
fuse_l2
fuse_l1
tailwing_l
tail_h
fuse_h
Project Aircraft
Beard & McLain, Small Unmanned Aircraft, Princeton University Press, 2012, Chapter 2: 24/21
fuse_l1
fuse_l2
fuse_l3
tailwing_l
wing_l
wing_w
tailwing_w
fuse_w
Project Aircraft