Evaluation of Wind Effects on Synthetic Flow Angles Estimator ASSE

Synthetic and smart sensors for flow angle estimation are becoming more and more popular in UAS applications in recent times. State of the-art methodologies for determining both the Angle of Attack and the Angle of Sideslip include model-based, data-driven, and model-free approaches. This work aims to investigate the impact of wind on the performance of a model-free scheme, which involves solving a system of nonlinear equations that includes wind acceleration. Previous studies have assumed the latter to be negligible due to the challenges in determining the wind field. The present work analyzes scenarios where wind acceleration is present but unknown, assessing its influence on the synthetic sensor performance. The results show that the proposed approach remains reliable under certain wind conditions but is significantly affected under others. These findings highlight the importance of ensuring that the system can maintain functionality despite disturbances and suggest potential improvements.