Cooperative trajectory optimization of UAVs in approaching stage using feedback guidance methods

Abstract

This paper mainly studies the problem of using UAVs to provide accurate remote target indication for hypersonic projectiles. Based on the optimal trajectory trends and feedback guidance methods, a new cooperative control algorithm is proposed to optimize trajectories of multi-UAVs for target tracking in approaching stage. Based on UAV kinematics and sensor performance models, optimal trajectory trends of UAVs are analyzed theoretically. Then, feedback guidance methods are proposed under the optimal observation trends of UAVs in the approaching target stage, producing trajectories with far less computational complexity and performance very close to the best-known trajectories. Next, the sufficient condition for the UAV to form the optimal observation configuration by the feedback guidance method is presented, which guarantees that the proposed method can optimize the observation trajectory of the UAV in approaching stage. Finally, the feedback guidance method is numerically simulated. Simulation results demonstrate that the estimation performance of the feedback guidance method is superior to the Lyapunov guidance vector field (LGVF) method and verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Additionally, compared with the receding horizon optimization (RHO) method, the proposed method has the same optimization ability as the RHO method and better real-time performance.

Keywords

• Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
• Target tracking
• Trajectory optimization
• Receding horizon optimization (RHO)
• Feedback guidance method