Patent — available for licensing
Method And System for Enhancing Vehicle Performance and Design Using Parametric Modeling and Gradient-Based Control Integration
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
Aerospace vehicles, including aircraft, spacecraft, and autonomous systems, require a balance of physical and control systems to achieve optimal performance. Traditional design approaches treat physical and control parameters separately, leading to suboptimal designs that may not meet stringent operational requirements under real-world conditions. NASA Ames has developed a novel parametric modeling approach that integrates physical design (e.g., geometry, structural load) with guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems, allowing for the co-optimization of these subsystems. This innovative technique applies multi-variable calculus and gradient-based methods to iterate on design parameters, enabling aerospace vehicles to achieve better performance, stability, and fuel efficiency. The technology reduces the development time and ensures a more robust design by accounting for real-world variables such as aerodynamic uncertainties, environmental disturbances, and sensor noise.