In this work, we propose a novel missile guidance algorithm that combines deep learning based trajectory prediction with nonlinear model predictive control. Although missile guidance and threat interception is a well-studied problem, existing algorithms' performance degrades significantly when the target is pulling high acceleration attack maneuvers while rapidly changing its direction. We argue that since most threats execute similar attack maneuvers, these nonlinear trajectory patterns can be processed with modern machine learning methods to build high accuracy trajectory prediction algorithms. We train a long short-term memory network (LSTM) based on a class of simulated structured agile attack patterns, then combine this predictor with quadratic programming based nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC). Our method, named nonlinear model based predictive control with target acceleration predictions (NMPC-TAP), significantly outperforms compared approaches in terms of miss distance, for the scenarios where the target/threat is executing agile maneuvers.
MARS-FTCP: Robust Fault-Tolerant Control and Agile Trajectory Planning for Modular Aerial Robot Systems
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore（电子与计算机工程系，国立新加坡大学）；Engineering Design and Innovation Centre, National University of Singapore（工程设计与创新中心，国立新加坡大学）
Agile and Cooperative Aerial Manipulation of a Cable-Suspended Load
Delft University of Technology（代尔夫特理工大学）；Sorbonne Université（索邦大学）；University of Twente（埃因霍温理工大学）；Sapienza University of Rome（罗马萨皮恩扎大学）；Univ Rennes, CNRS, Inria, IRISA, France（里昂大学，CNRS，Inria，IRISA，法国）
In this paper, two cooperative guidance laws based on two-point boundary value are designed to deal with the problem of cooperative encirclement and simultaneous attack under condition of both known target acceleration and unknown target acceleration. The only requirement for the multi-attacker communication network is that it contains a directed spanning tree. The guidance laws can function properly as long as at least one attacker can observed the target. The acceleration components along the attacker-target line of sight in the novel guidance laws can reduce the relative remaining distance …
Cooperative Guidance for Aerial Defense in Multiagent Systems
Control for Intelligent Systems (GALACxIS) Lab, Department of Aerospace Engineering；Engineering Mechanics, University of Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA. (e-mails: , ). S. R. Kumar is with the Intelligent Systems \& Control (ISaC) Lab, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India. (e-mail: ).
This paper proposes a novel control law for accurate tracking of agile trajectories using a tailsitter flying wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that transitions between vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and forward flight. The global control formulation enables maneuvering throughout the flight envelope, including uncoordinated flight with sideslip. Differential flatness of the nonlinear tailsitter dynamics with a simplified aerodynamics model is shown. Using the flatness transform, the proposed controller incorporates tracking of the position reference along with its derivatives velocity,…
Trained humans exhibit highly agile spatial skills, enabling them to operate vehicles with complex dynamics in demanding tasks and conditions. Prior work shows that humans achieve this performance by using strategies such as satisficing, learning hierarchical task structure, and using a library of motion primitive elements. A key aspect of efficient and versatile solutions is the decomposition of a task into a sequence of smaller tasks, represented by subgoals. The present work uses properties of constrained optimal control theory to define conditions that specify candidate subgoal states and …
Flying vertebrates exhibit sophisticated wingbeat kinematics. Their specialized forelimbs allow for the wing morphing motion to couple with the flapping motion during their level flight, Previous flyable bionic platforms have successfully applied bio-inspired wing morphing but cannot yet be propelled by the morphing-coupled wingbeat pattern. Spurred by this, we develop a bio-inspired flapping-wing aerial vehicle (FWAV) entitled RoboFalcon, which is equipped with a novel mechanism to drive the bat-style morphing wings, performs a morphing-coupled wingbeat pattern, and overall manages an appeali…
In this paper the problem of guidance formulation for autonomous soft landing of unmanned aerial vehicles on stationary, moving, or accelerating / maneuvering ground vehicles at desired approach angles in both azimuth and elevation is considered. Nonlinear engagement kinematics have been used. While integrated nonlinear controllers have been developed in the literature for this purpose, in practical implementations the controller inputs often need modification of the existing autopilot structure, which is challenging. In order to avoid that a higher-level guidance algorithm is designed in this…
Image-based Visual Servo Control for Aerial Manipulation Using a Fully-Actuated UAV
ShanghaiTech University（上海科技大学）；Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani（比尔拉科学技术学院皮拉尼分校）；Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学）；Carnegie Mellon University（卡内基梅隆大学）
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Cincinnati（航空航天工程与工程力学系，辛辛那提大学）；Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay（航空航天工程系，印度理工学院孟买分校）
Aerobatic maneuvers in insect-scale flapping-wing aerial robots via deep-learned robust tube model predictive control
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（电气工程与计算机科学系，麻省理工学院）；Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（航空宇航系，麻省理工学院）
Our goal in this work is to expand the theory and practice of robot locomotion by addressing critical challenges associated with the robotic biomimicry of bat aerial locomotion. Bats are known for their pronounced, fast wing articulations, e.g., bats can mobilize as many as forty joints during a single wingbeat, with some joints reaching over one thousand degrees per second in angular speed. Copying bats flight is a significant ordeal, however, very rewarding. Aerial drones with morphing bodies similar to bats can be safer, agile and energy-efficient owing to their articulated and soft wings. …
Istanbul Technical University（伊斯坦布尔理工大学）；Turkish-German University（土耳其-德国大学）
We investigate how to utilize predictive models for selecting appropriate motion planning strategies based on perception uncertainty estimation for agile unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigation tasks. Although there are variety of motion planning and perception algorithms for such tasks, the impact of perception uncertainty is not explicitly handled in many of the current motion algorithms, which leads to performance loss in real-life scenarios where the measurement are often noisy due to external disturbances. We develop a novel framework for embedding perception uncertainty to high level mo…
