Implementation of Composite Clothoid Paths for Continuous Curvature Trajectory Generation for UAVs
Jennifer Nicole Wilburn, Mario George Perhinschi, Brenton K. Wilburn · AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Conference · 2013
This paper presents a complete methodology associated with the implementation of the 2dimensional clothoid path planner and trajectory generation algorithm for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) applications. Based on previously suggested approaches for integrating the clothoid into the autonomous navigation and control architecture to produce a continuous curvature profile, the methodology presented in this paper has been extended to identify and provide a solution for the various issues encountered during a complete implementation of the clothoid planner for UAV trajectory generation. This includes a quadrant-based scheme for selecting the shortest path combination based upon the relative position and angle of the poses and a numerical solution of the nonlinear vector equations which define the ultimate path profile. The result is a ready-to-use planner that could easily be implemented on-board UAV hardware. The approach is demonstrated using the West Virginia University UAV Simulation Environment.