Robust Trajectory Optimization and Control of a Dynamic Soaring Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Robust Trajectory Optimization and Control of a Dynamic Soaring Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Author: Tristan Charles Flanzer
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2012
Genre:
ISBN:

A robust trajectory optimization method is formulated using a stochastic collocation based approach and is then applied to the design of periodic dynamic soaring trajectories for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Repetitive control is proposed and evaluated as a means for reducing tracking error for UAVs flying periodic trajectories both in simulation and experimentally. Experiments conducted in an indoor flying laboratory outfitted with a VICON motion capture system demonstrate significant reductions in tracking error even in the presence of large and unknown disturbances.

Boundary Layer Dynamic Soaring for Autonomous Aircraft

Boundary Layer Dynamic Soaring for Autonomous Aircraft
Author: Geoffrey Christien Bower
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2011
Genre:
ISBN:

Dynamic soaring is a flight technique used by albatrosses and other large seabirds to extract energy from wind gradients in the atmospheric boundary layer over the ocean. This technique enables them to fly for extended periods without flapping their wings, in some documented cases circumnavigating the globe. This work examines the application of dynamic soaring to propulsion of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). First, the equations of motion were derived and the energy transfer mechanisms were explained for a vehicle flying in a spatially and temporally varying wind field. Next, a robust and efficient dynamic soaring trajectory optimization method that forms the foundation for the remainder of the research was outlined. This method was used to solve for optimal periodic trajectories through a number of different wind fields. It was also used to investigate UAV designs that have the ability to extract electrical energy from their environment and store it on-board, allowing operations during lulls in the wind. Vehicle speed polars were generated that show the maximum cross-country speed achievable as the a function of the wind speed and the cross-country flight direction. The method of isochrones was applied to the long-range routing of dynamic soaring vehicles across the ocean by combining vehicle speed polars with satellite based ocean wind measurements. As part of this work, a small UAV, dubbed Mariner, was designed to demonstrate autonomous boundary layer dynamic soaring over water. The objective of the UAV design problem was to minimize the required reference wind speed. Constraints were imposed on vehicle size and weight, and careful attention was paid to stability and control requirements imposed by the optimal trajectories. Sensors and sub-systems were specified to allow for accurate state estimation in close proximity to the water surface. Experimentally, a small off-the-shelf airframe was flown to aid development of Mariner's flight control hardware and software. An extended Kalman filter (EKF) was implemented for vehicle state and wind estimation and tuned through flight testing. In addition, a novel GPS tracking tag was designed and tested to improve our understanding of albatross dynamic soaring.

Proceedings of 2022 International Conference on Autonomous Unmanned Systems (ICAUS 2022)

Proceedings of 2022 International Conference on Autonomous Unmanned Systems (ICAUS 2022)
Author: Wenxing Fu
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 3985
Release: 2023-03-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 981990479X

This book includes original, peer-reviewed research papers from the ICAUS 2022, which offers a unique and interesting platform for scientists, engineers and practitioners throughout the world to present and share their most recent research and innovative ideas. The aim of the ICAUS 2022 is to stimulate researchers active in the areas pertinent to intelligent unmanned systems. The topics covered include but are not limited to Unmanned Aerial/Ground/Surface/Underwater Systems, Robotic, Autonomous Control/Navigation and Positioning/ Architecture, Energy and Task Planning and Effectiveness Evaluation Technologies, Artificial Intelligence Algorithm/Bionic Technology and Its Application in Unmanned Systems. The papers showcased here share the latest findings on Unmanned Systems, Robotics, Automation, Intelligent Systems, Control Systems, Integrated Networks, Modeling and Simulation. It makes the book a valuable asset for researchers, engineers, and university students alike.

Advanced Robust Nonlinear Control Approaches for Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Advanced Robust Nonlinear Control Approaches for Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Author: Moussa Labbadi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2021-09-14
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3030810143

This book studies selected advanced flight control schemes for an uncertain quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems in the presence of constant external disturbances, parametric uncertainties, measurement noise, time-varying external disturbances, and random external disturbances. Furthermore, in all the control techniques proposed in this book, it includes the simulation results with comparison to other nonlinear control schemes recently developed for the tracking control of a quadrotor UAV. The main contributions of the present book for quadrotor UAV systems are as follows: (i) the proposed control methods are based on the high-order sliding mode controller (SMC) and hybrid control algorithm with an optimization method. (ii) the finite-time control schemes are developed by using fast terminal SMC (FTSMC), nonsingular FTSMC (NFTSMC), global time-varying SMC, and adaptive laws. (iii) the fractional-order flight control schemes are developed by using the fractional-order calculus theory, super twisting algorithm, NFTSMC, and the SMC. This book covers the research history and importance of quadrotor system subject to system uncertainties, external wind disturbances, and noise measurements, as well as the research status of advanced flight control methods, adaptive flight control methods, and flight control based on fractional-order theory. The book would be interesting to most academic undergraduate, postgraduates, researchers on flight control for drones and applications of advanced controllers in engineering field. This book presents a must-survey for advanced finite-time control for quadrotor system. Some parts of this book have the potential of becoming the courses for the modelling and control of autonomous flying machines. Readers (academic researcher, undergraduate student, postgraduate student, MBA/executive, and education practitioner) interested in nonlinear control methods find this book an investigation. This book can be used as a good reference for the academic research on the control theory, drones, terminal sliding mode control, and related to this or used in Ph.D. study of control theory and their application in field engineering.

Morphing Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Dynamic Soaring Applications

Morphing Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Dynamic Soaring Applications
Author: Holly L. Griffiths
Publisher:
Total Pages: 51
Release: 2018
Genre: Aerospace engineering
ISBN: 9780438372863

Ocean birds such as Albatross and Petrels use Dynamic Soaring to travel extremely long distances using minimal energy. Using vision and the mechanoreceptors within their skin and feathers, they can sense local wind conditions. By sensing these changes in the local spatio-temporal wind map, they can take advantage by flying trajectories that extract energy from the surrounding wind gradients. Inspired by the flight of these birds, the preliminary work for a small UAV (SUAV) system is proposed, with a morphing wing structure that can additionally estimate local wind conditions with only standard flight computer sensors (IMU, Magnetometer, GPS, Static and Dynamic Pressure) using parameter estimation via Kalman Filter. Groundwork for trajectory optimization with the addition of Morphing geometry is laid out, and the framework for a proposed unified trajectory planning and tracking Model Predictive Controller (MPC) is also investigated.

Flight Formation Control

Flight Formation Control
Author: Josep M. Guerrero
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2012-12-17
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1118563220

In the last decade the development and control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has attracted a lot of interest. Both researchers and companies have a growing interest in improving this type of vehicle given their many civilian and military applications. This book presents the state of the art in the area of UAV Flight Formation. The coordination and robust consensus approaches are presented in detail as well as formation flight control strategies which are validated in experimental platforms. It aims at helping students and academics alike to better understand what coordination and flight formation control can make possible. Several novel methods are presented: - controllability and observability of multi-agent systems; - robust consensus; - flight formation control; - stability of formations over noisy networks; which generate solutions of guaranteed performance for UAV Flight Formation. Contents 1. Introduction, J.A. Guerrero. 2. Theoretical Preliminaries, J.A. Guerrero. 3. Multiagent Coordination Strategies, J.A. Guerrero, R. Lozano, M.W. Spong, N. Chopra. 4. Robust Control Design for Multiagent Systems with Parametric Uncertainty, J.A. Guerrero, G. Romero. 5. On Adaptive and Robust Controlled Synchronization of Networked Robotic Systems on Strongly Connected Graphs, Y.-C. Liu, N. Chopra. 6. Modeling and Control of Mini UAV, G. Flores Colunga, J.A. Guerrero, J. Escareño, R. Lozano. 7. Flight Formation Control Strategies for Mini UAVs, J.A. Guerrero. 8. Formation Based on Potential Functions, L. García, A. Dzul. 9. Quadrotor Vision-Based Control, J.E. Gomez-Balderas, J.A. Guerrero, S. SALAZAR, R. Lozano, P. Castillo. 10. Toward Vision-Based Coordination of Quadrotor Platoons, L.R. García Carrillo, J.A. Guerrero, R. Lozano. 11. Optimal Guidance for Rotorcraft Platoon Formation Flying in Wind Fields, J.A. Guerrero, Y. Bestaoui, R. Lozano. 12. Impact of Wireless Medium Access Protocol on the Quadrotor Formation Control, J.A. Guerrero, Y. Challal, P. Castillo. 13. MAC Protocol for Wireless Communications, A. Mendez, M. Panduro, O. Elizarraras, D. Covarrubias. 14. Optimization of a Scannable Pattern for Bidimensional Antenna Arrays to Provide Maximum Performance, A. Reyna, M.A. Panduro, A. Mendez.

Robust Trajectory Planning for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Uncertain Environments

Robust Trajectory Planning for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Uncertain Environments
Author: Brandon Douglas Luders
Publisher:
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2008
Genre:
ISBN:

As unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) take on more prominent roles in aerial missions, it becomes necessary to increase the level of autonomy available to them within the mission planner. In order to complete realistic mission scenarios, the UAV must be capable of operating within a complex environment, which may include obstacles and other no-fly zones. Additionally, the UAV must be able to overcome environmental uncertainties such as modeling errors, external disturbances, and an incomplete situational awareness. By utilizing planners which can autonomously navigate within such environments, the cost-effectiveness of UAV missions can be dramatically improved.This thesis develops a UAV trajectory planner to efficiently identify and execute trajectories which are robust to a complex, uncertain environment. This planner, named Efficient RSBK, integrates previous mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) path planning algorithms with several implementation innovations to achieve provably robust on-line trajectory optimization. Using the proposed innovations, the planner is able to design intelligent long-term plans using a minimal number of decision variables. The effectiveness of this planner is demonstrated with both simulation results and flight experiments on a quadrotor testbed.Two major components of the Efficient RSBK framework are the robust model predictive control (RMPC) scheme and the low-level planner. This thesis develops a generalized framework to investigate RMPC affine feedback policies on the disturbance, identify relative strengths and weaknesses, and assess suitability for the UAV trajectory planning problem. A simple example demonstrates that even with a conventional problem setup, the closed-loop performance may not always improve with additional decision variables, despite the resulting increase in computational complexity. A compatible low-level troller is also introduced which significantly improves trajectory-following accuracy, as demonstrated by additional flight experiments.

On-Line Trajectory Optimization for Autonomous Air Vehicles

On-Line Trajectory Optimization for Autonomous Air Vehicles
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 61
Release: 2003
Genre:
ISBN:

Successful operation of next-generation unmanned air vehicles will demand a high level of autonomy. Autonomous low-level operation in a high-threat environment dictates a need for on-hoard, robust, reliable and efficient trajectory optimization. in this report, we develop and demonstrate an innovative combination of traditional analytical and numerical solution procedures to produce efficient, robust and reliable means for nonlinear Light path optimization in the presence of time-varying obstacles and threats. The solution procedure exploits the natural time-scale separation that exists in the aircraft dynamics using singular perturbation theory. A reduced order problem involving only the kinematics of the position subspace is treated numerically. The nonlinear aircraft dynamics are to be treated analytically in phase II using a boundary layer analysis that results in an optimal feedback guidance solution. The developed algorithms were coupled with a neural network adaptive autopilot and integrated in an existing unmanned test-bed. This report documents the phase I effort, which produced a demonstration of the developed algorithm in near-real-time flight simulation, and included a simple evaluation of tracking computed trajectories on a rotary wing UAV.

Advanced Trajectory Optimization, Guidance and Control Strategies for Aerospace Vehicles

Advanced Trajectory Optimization, Guidance and Control Strategies for Aerospace Vehicles
Author: Runqi Chai
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2023-10-29
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9819943116

This book focuses on the design and application of advanced trajectory optimization and guidance and control (G&C) techniques for aerospace vehicles. Part I of the book focuses on the introduction of constrained aerospace vehicle trajectory optimization problems, with particular emphasis on the design of high-fidelity trajectory optimization methods, heuristic optimization-based strategies, and fast convexification-based algorithms. In Part II, various optimization theory/artificial intelligence (AI)-based methods are constructed and presented, including dynamic programming-based methods, model predictive control-based methods, and deep neural network-based algorithms. Key aspects of the application of these approaches, such as their main advantages and inherent challenges, are detailed and discussed. Some practical implementation considerations are then summarized, together with a number of future research topics. The comprehensive and systematic treatment of practical issues in aerospace trajectory optimization and guidance and control problems is one of the main features of the book, which is particularly suitable for readers interested in learning practical solutions in aerospace trajectory optimization and guidance and control. The book is useful to researchers, engineers, and graduate students in the fields of G&C systems, engineering optimization, applied optimal control theory, etc.

Unmanned Aerial Systems

Unmanned Aerial Systems
Author: Anis Koubaa
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 652
Release: 2021-01-21
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0128202777

Unmanned Aerial Systems: Theoretical Foundation and Applications presents some of the latest innovative approaches to drones from the point-of-view of dynamic modeling, system analysis, optimization, control, communications, 3D-mapping, search and rescue, surveillance, farmland and construction monitoring, and more. With the emergence of low-cost UAS, a vast array of research works in academia and products in the industrial sectors have evolved. The book covers the safe operation of UAS, including, but not limited to, fundamental design, mission and path planning, control theory, computer vision, artificial intelligence, applications requirements, and more. This book provides a unique reference of the state-of-the-art research and development of unmanned aerial systems, making it an essential resource for researchers, instructors and practitioners. Covers some of the most innovative approaches to drones Provides the latest state-of-the-art research and development surrounding unmanned aerial systems Presents a comprehensive reference on unmanned aerial systems, with a focus on cutting-edge technologies and recent research trends in the area