Flight Testing a Real Time Implementation of a UAV Path Planner Using Direct Collocation
Brian R. Geiger, Joseph F. Horn, Gregory L. Sinsley, James Ross, Lyle N. Long, Albert F. Niessner · AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit · 2007
Flight tests of a path planning algorithm using direct collocation with nonlinear programming (DCNLP) are presented. The path planner operates in real time onboard an unmanned aerial vehicle for these tests. The method plans a path that maximizes the time a target is in view of a camera onboard the aircraft. Tests include surveilling a stationary and moving target while compensating for any wind effects. Additionally, the effect of the use of road data in planning the path is simulated by tracking a second UAV flying a predefined pattern. Finally, a method of commanding the observation of a target from a specific line of sight is presented.