Control Units Interface for JSBSim Simulator

Abstract

This thesis is primarily focused on development of a software interface between existing flight dynamics model and a custom-made flight controller software (FCS). The interface is able to realize both software-in-the-loop simulation and hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Simulations are then used to aid development of a fully functional FCS, which should be able to control a flight of a quadcopter in real time. We use the simulation to verify the performance and safety of the FCS and to configure the FCS for a stable flight. Software-in-the-loop simulation is used for fast iteration and testing of different configurations and for detection of possible software issues, while hardware-in-the-loop is used to better approximate the behavior of the real system. Finally, a quadcopter controlled by the custom FCS is assembled and tested in the real world to observe differences between the simulated system and reality.