Real Time Optimal Trajectory Synthesis for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Urban Air Mobility Applications
Bilge Kacmaz, Ranjan Vepa · 2023
View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-4043.vid In this paper, the problem of generating energy-saving trajectories in real time for an unmanned aerial vehicle is considered. The method of ‘inverse dynamics in the virtual domain’ is used in conjunction with a segmented interpolation polynomial which is the assumed solution in the time domain, over several segments of the trajectory, to generate a suitable trajectory for the vehicle in real time. A point mass model is used, and the three-dimensional unmanned aerial vehicle equations of motion and a non-linear wind gradient model are defined. Velocity profile trajectories are then generated, given a desired power level by minimizing the error in the power used or given a desired lift coefficient by minimizing the error in the lift coefficient required, over prescribed flight paths, per horizontal distance traveled for crosswind traveling. Typical results are presented for cruise, loiter in a prescribed circle and climbing along a prescribed take-off flight path. The optimal velocity profile trajectory could be used for Urban Air Mobility applications, where the flight path itself is defined primarily on the basis of obstacle avoidance, in real-time.