An elastic deformation measurement method for helicopter based on double-IMUs/DGPS TRAMS

Because of the severe vibration during flight process, the elastic deformation caused by the weight of avionic devices which are placed in the head nacelle of the helicopter such as millimeter wave radar cannot be measured through the optical-imaging and accelerometer-induction method. In order to survey this elastic deformation in real-time, this paper proposes the double-IMUs/DPGS tightly-coupled relative attitude measurement system (TRAMS): double IMUs are comprised by the same accuracy grade inertial sensors; one IMU is assembled in the head nacelle, while the other is in the airframe; the double-IMUs tightly-coupled with the DPGS respectively can measure the attitudes (pitch, roll and heading) of the nacelle and helicopter airframe in high accuracy; the relative attitudes between the two single IMU/DPGS TRAMSs reflect the elastic deformation between the nacelle and airframe. The double-IMUs/DPGS TRAMS have been effectively verified through the ground experiment in a vehicle and two flight tests in a military helicopter. The results present satisfactory stability and repeatability. This system can be popularized to other dynamic deformation measurement backgrounds.

► Design double-IMUs/DGPS TRAMS for detecting elastic deformation in real-time.
► Double IMUs will be tightly-coupled with the DGPS by EKF algorithm respectively.
► Relative attitudes between two independent systems reflect the elastic deformation.
► The system can work in the severe vibration and high dynamic environment.
► Two flight tests reflect the system can provide high accuracy measurement.