Trajectory Generation and Control Considering Envelope Constraints for a Fixed-Wing eVTOL
Denis Surmann, Niklas Knappe, Stephan Myschik · 2025
Electrical vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicles are essential for applications such as surveillance, reconnaissance, environmental monitoring, and disaster management. Their versatility and operational flexibility make them valuable in both civilian and military contexts. Achieving optimal performance and maneuverability, especially with fixed-wing configurations, requires sophisticated trajectory generation and control. This paper explores the trajectory design and control for a conceptual eVTOL during wingborne flight, using a nonlinear control strategy. Trajectory generation, a vital part of the autonomous control system, computes and optimizes flight paths based on mission requirements. Advanced algorithms balance flight time, energy efficiency, and mission-specific objectives to generate feasible paths. We provide insights into the principles and methodologies of trajectory generation which can also be used for any fixed-wing aircraft. Current investigations focus on trajectory control, with future work detailing simulations that incorporate real-world phenomena such as wind and sensor data, enhancing our understanding of the system performance and robustness.