Real-Time Trajectory Generation for Autonomous Nonlinear Flight Systems
Abstract
Report developed under STTR contract for topic AF02-T002. A path planner and trajectory generator for real time autonomous flight control was developed which is capable of generating extremely complicated paths that account for pop-up and dynamically changing threats. A feasible hierarchical decomposition of the problem using Voronoi diagrams, which affords a significant reduction in the search space, is reported. The trajectory generation problem is decomposed into three distinct, but tightly coupled pieces: waypoint path planning (WPP), dynamic trajectory smoothing (DTS), and adaptive trajectory tracking (ATT). The essential idea is to give the trajectory generator a similar mathematical structure as the physical vehicle. The approach uses a simple algorithm to generate smoothed trajectories in real-time without performing any on-line optimization. The trajectories that are generated by the DTS have the same path length as the waypoint path generated and also minimize the deviation from the waypoint path. The algorithms developed are suitable for real-time path generation for moving threats, terrain obstructions, and weather. Potential applications include small UAVs and smart munitions systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA417774
Entities
People
- Michael L. Larsen
- Randal W. Beard
- Timothy Mclain