Two-layer formation-containment fault-tolerant control of fixed-wing UAV swarm for dynamic target tracking

This paper tackles the formation-containment control problem of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)swarm with model uncertainties for dynamic target tracking in three-dimensional space in the faulty case of UAVs’actuator and sensor.The fixed-wing UAV swarm under consideration is organized as a“multi-leader-multi-follower”structure,in which only several leaders can obtain the dynamic target information while others only receive the neighbors’information through the communication network.To simultaneously realize the formation,containment,and dynamic target tracking,a two-layer control framework is adopted to decouple the problem into two subproblems:reference trajectory generation and trajectory tracking.In the upper layer,a distributed finite-time estimator(DFTE)is proposed to generate each UAV’s reference trajectory in accordance with the control objective.Subsequently,a distributed composite robust fault-tolerant trajectory tracking controller is developed in the lower layer,where a novel adaptive extended super-twisting(AESTW)algorithm with a finite-time extended state observer(FTESO)is involved in solving the robust trajectory tracking control problem under model uncertainties,actuator,and sensor faults.The proposed controller simultaneously guarantees rapidness and enhances the system’s robustness with fewer chattering effects.Finally,corresponding simulations are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness and competitiveness of the proposed two-layer fault-tolerant cooperative control scheme.

A cloud Bayesian network approach to situation assessment of scouting underwater targets with fixed-wing patrol aircraft

The battlefield situation changes rapidly because underwater targets'are concealment and the sea environment is uncertain.So,a great number of situation information greatly increase,which need to be dealt with in the course of scouting underwater targets.Situation assessment in sea battlefield with a lot of uncertain information is studied,and a new situation assessment method of scouting underwater targets with fixed-wing patrol aircraft is proposed based on the cloud Bayesian network,which overcomes the deficiency of the single cloud model in reasoning ability and the defect of Bayesian network in knowledge representation.Moreover,in the method,the cloud model knowledge deal with the input data of Bayesian network reasoning,and the advantages in knowledge representation of cloud theory and reasoning of Bayesian network are applied;also,the fuzziness and stochasticity of cloud theory in knowledge expression,the reasoning ability of Bayesian network,are combined.Then,the situation assessment model of scouting underwater targets with fixed-wing patrol aircraft is established.Hence,the directed acyclic graph of Bayesian network structure is constructed and the assessment index is determined.Next,the cloud model is used to deal with Bayesian network,and the discrete Bayesian network is obtained.Moreover,after CPT of each node and the transformation between certainty degree and probability are accomplished;the final situation level is obtained through a probability synthesis formula.Therefore,the target type and the operational intention of the other side are deduced to form the battlefield situation.Finally,simulations are carried out,and the rationality and validity of the proposed method are testified by simulation results.By this method,the battlefield situation can be gained.And this method has a wider application range,especially for large sample data processing,and it has better practicability.

A Software-in-the-Loop Implementation of Adaptive Formation Control for Fixed-Wing UAVs

This paper discusses the design and software-in-theloop implementation of adaptive formation controllers for fixedwing unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) with parametric uncertainty in their structure, namely uncertain mass and inertia. In fact, when aiming at autonomous flight, such parameters cannot assumed to be known as they might vary during the mission(e.g.depending on the payload). Modeling and autopilot design for such autonomous fixed-wing UAVs are presented. The modeling is implemented in Matlab, while the autopilot is based on ArduPilot, a popular open-source autopilot suite. Specifically, the ArduP ilot functionalities are emulated in Matlab according to the Ardupilot documentation and code, which allows us to perform software-in-the-loop simulations of teams of UAVs embedded with actual autopilot protocols. An overview of realtime path planning, trajectory tracking and formation control resulting from the proposed platform is given. The software-inthe-loop simulations show the capability of achieving different UAV formations while handling uncertain mass and inertia.

Path planning for moving target tracking by fixed-wing UAV

For the automatic tracking of unknown moving targets on the ground,most of the commonly used methods involve circling above the target.With such a tracking mode,there is a moving laser spot on the target,which will bring trouble for cooperative manned helicopters.In this paper,we propose a new way of tracking,where an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) circles on one side of the tracked target.A circular path algorithm is developed for monitoring the relative position between the UAV and the target considering the real-time range and the bearing angle.This can determine the center of the new circular path if the predicted range between the UAV and the target does not meet the monitoring requirements.A transition path algorithm is presented for planning the transition path between circular paths that constrain the turning radius of the UAV.The transition path algorithm can generate waypoints that meet the flight ability.In this paper,we analyze the entire method and detail the scope of applications.We formulate an observation angle as an evaluation index.A series of simulations and evaluation index comparisons verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.

Radio Controlled “3D Aerobatic Airplanes” as Basis for Fixed-Wing UAVs with VTOL Capability

There are fundamental performance compromises between rotary-wing and fixed-wing UAVs. The general solution to address this well-known problem is the design of a platform with some degree of reconfigurable airframes. For critical missions (civilian or military), it is imperative that mechanical complexity is kept to a minimum to help achieve mission success. This work proposes that the tried-and-true radio controlled (RC) aerobatic airplanes can be implemented as basis for fixed-wing UAVs having both speed and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities. These powerful and highly maneuverable airplanes have non-rotatable nacelles, yet capable of deep stall maneuvers. The power requirements for VTOL and level flight of an aerobatic RC airplane are evaluated and they are compared to those of a RC helicopter of similar flying weight. This work provides quantitative validation that commercially available RC aerobatic airplanes can serve as platform to build VTOL capable fixed-wing UAVs that are agile, cost effective, reliable and easy maintenance.

Retarded Harrier Maneuver as a New and Efficient Approach for Fixed-Wing Aircraft to Achieve S/VTOL

Modern day VTOL fixed-wing aircraft based on quadplane design is relatively simple and reliable due to lack of complex mechanical components compared to tilt-wings or tilt-rotors in the pre-80’s era. Radio-controlled aerobatic airplanes have thrust-to-weight ratio of greater than unity and are capable of performing a range of impressive maneuvers including the so-called harrier maneuver. We hereby present a new maneuver known as the retarded harrier that is applicable to un/manned fixed-wing aircraft for achieving VTOL flight with a better forward flight performance than a quadplane in terms of weight, speed and esthetics. An airplane with tandem roto-stabilizers is also presented as an efficient airframe to achieve VTOL via retarded harrier maneuver, and detailed analysis is given for hovering at 45° and 60° and comparison is made against the widely adopted quadplane. This work also includes experimental demonstration of retarded harrier maneuver using a small remotely pilot airplane of wingspan 650 mm.

Time-Coordinated Path Following for Multiple Agile Fixed-Wing UAVs with End-Roll Expectations

This paper presents a control strategy for multiple unmanned aerial vehicle systems(multi-UAVs)time-coordinated path following with desired endpoint roll attitudes.It utilizes the strong maneuvering capabilities of agile fixed-wing UAVs and incorporates an end-roll expectation.The strategy consists of four steps:time-coordinated control,position control,roll angle planning and attitude control.The position and attitude controllers exhibit Lyapunov exponential stability.The time-coordinated controller addresses the synchronization problem by adjusting the speed based on the coordinated state to achieve progress adjustment.The position controller operates based on the cross-track error and altitude error in the Gravity-Referenced Moving frame.By employing an optimization approach and designing a penalty function,the roll angle sequence is computed.The attitude inner-loop control operates in the SO(3)space and allows for control of large deviations.High-fidelity simulation validates the effectiveness of the proposed method,with normalized coordination error and following error controlled within 2%and 1.2m.

Prediction of electric-powered fixed-wing UAV endurance

To overcome the problems encountered in predicting the endurance of electricpowered fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs),which were stemmed from the dynamic changes in electric power system efficiency and battery discharge characteristics under different operating conditions,the required battery power model and battery discharge model were studied.The required battery power model was determined using an approximate model of electric power system efficiency based on wind tunnel testing and the self-adaptive penalty function.Furthermore,current correction and ambient temperature correction terms were proposed for the trained Kriging model representing the discharge characteristics under standard operation,and then the discharged capacity-terminal voltage model was established.Through numerical integration of this model with the required battery power model,the electric-powered fixed-wing UAV endurance prediction model was obtained.Laboratory tests indicated that the proposed endurance model could precisely calculate the battery discharge time and accurately describe the battery discharge process.The similarity of the theoretical and flight test results reflected the accuracy of the proposed endurance model as well as the importance of considering dynamic changes in power system efficiency in endurance calculations.The proposed endurance model meeting precision requirements can be used in practical engineering applications.

Analysis of echo signal modulation characteristic parameters on aerial and space targets

Based on the scattering characteristic,the comparison of RCS(radar cross-section)at different positions of a target in the same direction of incidence can be obtained first by extruding or deleting part of the entity.A simulation method of aerial&space targets echo characteristics(A&STEC)is proposed that is universal to aerial and space targets.We utilize a fixed-wing UAV(unmanned aerial vehicle)and typical missiles in simulation.The echo signal modulation characteristic parameters are calculated theoretically by the atmospheric attenuation model,the finite element method and a MUMPS solver.The verification simulations show that this method can analyze the influence of the target shape,incident direction,detection position and detection frequency on echo waveform,intensity and energy distribution.The results show that the profile of echo waveform can invert the general shape of the target.The relationship between time and intensity can determine whether the target is moving towards or away from the detector in addition.These conclusions can provide a reference for the ballistic missile target tracking and the defense against UVA intrusion in theory.

Distributed formation control of multiple aerial vehicles based on guidance route

Formation control of fixed-wing aerial vehicles is an important yet rarely addressed problem because of their complex dynamics and various motion constraints,such as nonholonomic and velocity constraints.The guidance-route-based strategy has been demonstrated to be applicable to fixed-wing aircraft.However,it requires a global coordinator and there exists control lag,due to its own natures.For this reason,this paper presents a fully distributed guidance-route-based formation approach to address the aforementioned issues.First,a hop-count scheme is introduced to achieve distributed implementation,in which each aircraft chooses a neighbor with the minimum hop-count as a reference to generate its guidance route using only local information.Next,the model predictive control algorithm is employed to eliminate the control lag and achieve precise formation shape control.In addition,the stall protection and collision avoidance are also considered.Finally,three numerical simulations demonstrate that our proposed approach can implement precise formation shape control of fixed-wing aircraft in a fully distributed manner.

Cooperative formation control of multiple aerial vehicles based on guidance route in a complex task environment

In recent years,formation control of multi-agent has been a significant research subject in the field of cooperative control.However,previous works have mainly concentrated on formation control for simple point-mass model and linear model.In contrast,this paper presents a novel cooperative algorithm for multiple air vehicles formation control,which aims to devise a control strategy based on guidance route to achieve precisely coordinated formation control for a group of fixed-wing aircraft in a complex task environment.The proposed method introduces the leader-follower structure for effective organization of the multi-agent coordination.Moreover,the Partial Integrated Formation and Control(PIFC)is adopted to design the control law for Guidance-Route based Formation Control(GRFC).Additionally,the proposed approach designs two guidance-route generation strategies for two special situations to demonstrate the effectiveness of GRFC in complex task environments.Theoretical analysis reveals that the proposed control protocol for guidance command can ensure the overall stability and tracking accuracy of the system.Numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the theoretical results,and verify that the proposed approach can achieve coordinated formation control precisely in a complex task environment.

Affine formation tracking control of unmanned aerial vehicles

The affine formation tracking problem for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)is considered in this paper,where fixed-wing UAVs are modeled as unicycle-type agents with asymmetrical speed constraints.A group of UAVs are required to generate and track a time-varying target formation obtained by affinely transforming a nominal formation.To handle this problem,a distributed control law based on stress matrix is proposed under the leader-follower control scheme.It is proved,theoretically,that followers can converge to the desired positions and achieve affine transformations while tracking diverse trajectories.Furthermore,a saturated control strategy is proposed to meet the speed constraints of fixed-wing UAVs,and numerical simulations are executed to verify the effectiveness of our proposed affine formation tracking control strategy in improving maneuverability.