Improved Fixed-Time Convergence Guidance Scheme Design and Its Application to Missile

This study presents a fixed-time convergence guidance scheme for impact time and angle control.First,two improved fixed-time stable systems are presented,which have smaller initial control command and better terminal convergence.16 An improved fixed-time extended state observer is proposed to provide accurate estimation of system states and disturbance,which effectively solves peaking value problem.Furthermore,an improved fixed-time sliding mode controller is derived,which avoids the singular problem and achieves faster convergence rate with smaller initial control command.Second,a new guidance scheme with impact angle and impact time constraints is proposed for intercepting a stationary target.By introducing a virtual target,the guidance process is divided into two stages.The proposed fixed-time controller is employed in the first stage.The method with a virtual leader ensures that the missile intercept the virtual target with desired line-of-sight angles at a specific time.By using the proportional navigation guidance law,the missile keeps travelling with desired flight-path angles to hit the real target in the second stage,17 so as to achieve the impact time and angle control.Finally,the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed guidance scheme in different engagement scenarios are verified by numerical simulations with comparisons.

Aerial vehicle guidance based on passive machine learning technique

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to develop a new guidance scheme for aerial vehicles based on artificial intelligence.The new guidance scheme must be able to intercept maneuvering targets with higher probability and precision compared to existing algorithms.Design/methodology/approach-A simulation setup of the aerial vehicle guidance problem is developed.A model-based machine learning technique known as Q-learning is used to develop a new guidance scheme.Several simulation experiments are conducted to train the new guidance scheme.Orthogonal arrays are used to define the training experiments to achieve faster convergence.A wellknown guidance scheme known as proportional navigation guidance(PNG)is used as a base model for training.The new guidance scheme is compared for performance against standard guidance schemes like PNG and augmented proportional navigation guidance schemes in presence of sensor noise and computational delays.Findings-A new guidance scheme for aerial vehicles is developed using Q-learning technique.This new guidance scheme has better miss distances and probability of intercept compared to standard guidance schemes.Research limitations/implications-The research uses simulation models to develop the new guidance scheme.The new guidance scheme is also evaluated in the simulation environment.The new guidance scheme performs better than standard existing guidance schemes.Practical implications-The new guidance scheme can be used in various aerial guidance applications to reach a dynamically moving target in three-dimensional space.Originality/value-The research paper proposes a completely new guidance scheme based on Q-learning whose performance is better than standard guidance schemes.

Systematic Direct Approach for Optimizing Continuous-thrust Earth-orbit Transfers

This article presents a systematic direct approach to carry out effective optimization of a wide range of continuous-thrust Earth-orbit transfers with intermediate-level thrust acceleration,including minimum-time (with a single burn arc) and mini-mum-fuel (with multiple burn arcs) transfers. With direct control parameterization,in which the control steering programs of burn arcs are interpolated through a finite number of nodes,the optimal control problem is converted into the parameter optimi-zation proble...