Aerial target threat assessment based on gated recurrent unit and self-attention mechanism

Aerial threat assessment is a crucial link in modern air combat, whose result counts a great deal for commanders to make decisions. With the consideration that the existing threat assessment methods have difficulties in dealing with high dimensional time series target data, a threat assessment method based on self-attention mechanism and gated recurrent unit(SAGRU) is proposed. Firstly, a threat feature system including air combat situations and capability features is established. Moreover, a data augmentation process based on fractional Fourier transform(FRFT) is applied to extract more valuable information from time series situation features. Furthermore, aiming to capture key characteristics of battlefield evolution, a bidirectional GRU and SA mechanisms are designed for enhanced features.Subsequently, after the concatenation of the processed air combat situation and capability features, the target threat level will be predicted by fully connected neural layers and the softmax classifier. Finally, in order to validate this model, an air combat dataset generated by a combat simulation system is introduced for model training and testing. The comparison experiments show the proposed model has structural rationality and can perform threat assessment faster and more accurately than the other existing models based on deep learning.

Adaptive Control of Discrete-time Nonlinear Systems Using ITF-ORVFL

Random vector functional ink(RVFL)networks belong to a class of single hidden layer neural networks in which some parameters are randomly selected.Their network structure in which contains the direct links between inputs and outputs is unique,and stability analysis and real-time performance are two difficulties of the control systems based on neural networks.In this paper,combining the advantages of RVFL and the ideas of online sequential extreme learning machine(OS-ELM)and initial-training-free online extreme learning machine(ITFOELM),a novel online learning algorithm which is named as initial-training-free online random vector functional link algo rithm(ITF-ORVFL)is investigated for training RVFL.The link vector of RVFL network can be analytically determined based on sequentially arriving data by ITF-ORVFL with a high learning speed,and the stability for nonlinear systems based on this learning algorithm is analyzed.The experiment results indicate that the proposed ITF-ORVFL is effective in coping with nonparametric uncertainty.

Comparison of Three Data-Driven Networked Predictive Control Methods for a Class of Nonlinear Systems

Dear Editor,In this letter,in order to deal with random network delays and packet losses in a class of networked nonlinear systems,three data-driven networked predictive control methods are designed.Their closed-loop systems and control increments are derived,respectively.

Dynamic Multi-team Antagonistic Games Model with Incomplete Information and Its Application to Multi-UAV

At present, the studies on multi-team antagonistic games(MTAGs) are still in the early stage, because this complicated problem involves not only incompleteness of information and conflict of interests, but also selection of antagonistic targets.Therefore, based on the previous researches, a new framework is proposed in this paper, which is dynamic multi-team antagonistic games with incomplete information(DMTAGII) model.For this model, the corresponding concept of perfect Bayesian Nash equilibrium(PBNE) is established and the existence of PBNE is also proved. Besides, an interactive iteration algorithm is introduced according to the idea of the best response for solving the equilibrium. Then, the scenario of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) against multiple military targets is studied to solve the problems of tactical decision making based on the DMTAGII model. In the process of modeling, the specific expressions of strategy, status and payoff functions of the games are considered, and the strategy is coded to match the structure of genetic algorithm so that the PBNE can be solved by combining the genetic algorithm and the interactive iteration algorithm.Finally, through the simulation the feasibility and effectiveness of the DMTAGII model are verified. Meanwhile, the calculated equilibrium strategies are also found to be realistic, which can provide certain references for improving the autonomous ability of UAV systems.

Vehicle Motion Prediction at Intersections Based on the Turning Intention and Prior Trajectories Model

Intersections are quite important and complex traffic scenarios,where the future motion of surrounding vehicles is an indispensable reference factor for the decision-making or path planning of autonomous vehicles.Considering that the motion trajectory of a vehicle at an intersection partly obeys the statistical law of historical data once its driving intention is determined,this paper proposes a long short-term memory based(LSTM-based)framework that combines intention prediction and trajectory prediction together.First,we build an intersection prior trajectories model(IPTM)by clustering and statistically analyzing a large number of prior traffic flow trajectories.The prior trajectories model with fitted probabilistic density is used to approximate the distribution of the predicted trajectory,and also serves as a reference for credibility evaluation.Second,we conduct the intention prediction through another LSTM model and regard it as a crucial cue for a trajectory forecast at the early stage.Furthermore,the predicted intention is also a key that is associated with the prior trajectories model.The proposed framework is validated on two publically released datasets,next generation simulation(NGSIM)and INTERACTION.Compared with other prediction methods,our framework is able to sample a trajectory from the estimated distribution,with its accuracy improved by about 20%.Finally,the credibility evaluation,which is based on the prior trajectories model,makes the framework more practical in the real-world applications.

Image Classification Based on the Fusion of Complementary Features

Image classification based on bag-of-words（BOW）has a broad application prospect in pattern recognition field but the shortcomings such as single feature and low classification accuracy are apparent.To deal with this problem,this paper proposes to combine two ingredients：（i）Three features with functions of mutual complementation are adopted to describe the images,including pyramid histogram of words（PHOW）,pyramid histogram of color（PHOC）and pyramid histogram of orientated gradients（PHOG）.（ii）An adaptive feature-weight adjusted image categorization algorithm based on the SVM and the decision level fusion of multiple features are employed.Experiments are carried out on the Caltech101 database,which confirms the validity of the proposed approach.The experimental results show that the classification accuracy rate of the proposed method is improved by 7%-14%higher than that of the traditional BOW methods.With full utilization of global,local and spatial information,the algorithm is much more complete and flexible to describe the feature information of the image through the multi-feature fusion and the pyramid structure composed by image spatial multi-resolution decomposition.Significant improvements to the classification accuracy are achieved as the result.

An overview of recent progress in high-order nonholonomic chained system control and distributed coordination

This paper reviews some main results and progress concerning with nonholonomic system control,especially focusing on the networked chained system coordination.The controllability of nonholonomic system,the control method of nonholonomic system,the chained form transformation,the basic graph theory for multi-agent systems are recalled,respectively.Some important definitions,lemmas,theorems and dynamics are elaborated.Both the consensus and formation control problems for networked nonholonomic chained systems are summarised.Finally,some open questions are proposed.

Application and Exploration of Big Data Mining in Clinical Medicine

Objective： To review theories and technologies of big data mining and their application in clinical medicine. Data Sources： Literatures published in English or Chinese regarding theories and technologies of big data mining and the concrete applications of data mining technology in clinical medicine were obtained from PubMed and Chinese Hospital Knowledge Database from 1975 to 2015. Study Selection： Original articles regarding big data mining theory/technology and big data mining＇s application in the medical field were selected. Results： This review characterized the basic theories and technologies of big data mining including fuzzy theory, rough set theory, cloud theory, Dempster-Shafer theory, artificial neural network, genetic algorithm, inductive learning theory, Bayesian network, decision tree, pattern recognition, high-performance computing, and statistical analysis. The application of big data mining in clinical medicine was analyzed in the fields of disease risk assessment, clinical decision support, prediction of disease development, guidance of rational use of drugs, medical management, and evidence-based medicine. Conclusion： Big data mining has the potential to play an important role in clinical medicine.

基于归一化人工势场算法的固定翼无人机群动态航迹规划

协同动态航迹规划是多无人机编队研究的核心,实时躲避动态障碍物和避免求解算法陷入局部最优是现有航迹规划算法面临的两大挑战。本文研究了复杂战场环境中多无人机在线规划问题,首先,提出了一种归一化的人工势场优化算法,然后,通过构造具有各向异性的人工势场函数,使固定无人机群的航迹不受排斥/吸引增益参数的影响,避免了算法陷入局部最优和航迹局部振荡,从而引导多无人机分别以期望的方向约束抵达对应的目标。考虑了固定翼无人机的最小飞行速度和最小转弯角度,提出了一种目标矢量分解策略,在子向量的端点上分别放置虚拟的子引力势场源,提前躲避动态障碍物和突发威胁,规划出来的航迹不存在法向加速度急剧变化的航段。最后,通过仿真验证了算法的优越性和可行性。

Trajectory Tracking Strategy for Gliding Hypersonic Vehicle with Aileron Stuck at an Unknown Angle

A nonlinear robust trajectory tracking strategy for a gliding hypersonic vehicle with an aileron stuck at an unknown position is presented in this paper. First, the components of translational motion dynamics perpendicular to the velocity are derived, and then a guidance law based on a time-varying sliding mode method is used to realize trajectory tracking. Furthermore, the rotational equations of motion are separated into an actuated subsystem and an unactuated subsystem. And an adaptive time-varying sliding mode attitude controller is proposed based on the actuated subsystem to track the command attitude and the tracking performance and robustness are therefore enhanced. The proposed guidance law and attitude controller make the hypersonic vehicle fly along the reference trajectory even when the aileron is stuck at an unknown angle. Finally, a hypersonic benchmark platform is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

New advances in complex motion control for single robot systems and multi-agent systems

CHEN Jie,email:chenjie@bit.edu.

Path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles in surveillance tasks under wind fields

The optimal path planning for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) in multi-target surveillance tasks(MTST) in the presence of wind is concerned.To take into account the minimal turning radius of UAVs,the Dubins model is used to approximate the dynamics of UAVs.Based on the assumption,the path planning problem of UAVs in MTST can be formulated as a Dubins traveling salesman problem(DTSP).By considering its prohibitively high computational cost,the Dubins paths under terminal heading relaxation are introduced,which leads to significant reduction of the optimization scale and difficulty of the whole problem.Meanwhile,in view of the impact of wind on UAVs' paths,the notion of virtual target is proposed.The application of the idea successfully converts the Dubins path planning problem from an initial configuration to a target in wind into a problem of finding the minimal root of a transcendental equation.Then,the Dubins tour is derived by using differential evolution(DE) algorithm which employs random-key encoding technique to optimize the visiting sequence of waypoints.Finally,the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm are demonstrated through computational experiments.Numerical results exhibit that the proposed algorithm can produce high quality solutions to the problem.

Computed Tomography Angiography in Diagnosis and Treatment of Splenic Artery Aneurysm

Splenic artery aneurysm, without obvious symptoms, is a direct threat to the patient＇s life, once it ruptures as hemorrhagic shock.Imaging examinations have been the main diagnostic methods of splenic artery aneurysm, including ultrasound, computed tomography （CT）, magnetic resonance imaging, and digital subtraction angiography （DSA）.Although various inspective methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, abdominal CT examination is the most comprehensively applied method in clinical settings.The representative images of splenic artery aneurysm from a relatively large number of patients examined by CT are presented in this study.

Preface——Special Issue on New Directions in Nonlinear and Distributed Control

Nonlinearity is ubiquitous in engineering and natural systems.The development of nonlinear control can be traced back to decades ago.To date,the research has reached the stage that emphasizes developing methodologies that can handle the complexity characterized by uncertainty,

A memetic algorithm for path planning of curvature-constrained UAVs performing surveillance of multiple ground targets

The problem of generating optimal paths for curvature-constrained unmanned aerial vehicles （UAVs） performing surveillance of multiple ground targets is addressed in this paper. UAVs are modeled as Dubins vehicles so that the constraints of UAVs＇ minimal turning radius can be taken into account. In view of the effective surveillance range of the sensors equipped on UAVs, the problem is formulated as a Dubins traveling salesman problem with neighborhood （DTSPN）. Considering its prohibitively high computational complexity, the Dubins paths in the sense of terminal heading relaxation are introduced to simplify the calculation of the Dubins distance, and a boundary-based encoding scheme is proposed to determine the visiting point of every target neighborhood. Then, an evolutionary algorithm is used to derive the optimal Dubins tour. To further enhance the quality of the solutions, a local search strategy based on approximate gradient is employed to improve the visiting points of target neighborhoods. Finally, by a minor modification to the individual encoding, the algorithm is easily extended to deal with other two more sophisticated DTSPN variants （multi-UAV scenario and multiple groups of targets scenario）. The performance of the algorithm is demonstrated through comparative experiments with other two state-of-the-art DTSPN algorithms identified in literature. Numerical simulations exhibit that the algorithm proposed in this paper can find high-quality solutions to the DTSPN with lower computational cost and produce significantly improved performance over the other algorithms.

A joint mid-course and terminal course cooperative guidance law for multi-missile salvo attack

Salvo attacking a surface target by multiple missiles is an effective tactic to enhance the lethality and penetrate the defense system. However, existing cooperative guidance laws in the midcourse or terminal course are not suitable for long-and medium-range missiles or stand-off attacking. Because the initial conditions of cooperative terminal guidance that are generally generated from the mid-course flight may not lead to a successful cooperative terminal guidance without proper mid-course flight adjustment. Meanwhile, cooperative guidance in the mid-course cannot solely guarantee the accuracy of a simultaneous arrival of multiple missiles. Therefore, a joint mid-course and terminal course cooperative guidance law is developed. By building a distinct leader-follower framework, this paper proposes an efficient coordinated Dubins path planning method to synchronize the arrival time of all engaged missiles in the mid-course flight. The planned flight can generate proper initial conditions for cooperative terminal guidance, and also benefit an earliest simultaneous arrival. In the terminal course, an existing cooperative proportional navigation guidance law guides all the engaged missiles to arrive at a target accurately and simultaneously.The integrated guidance law for an intuitive application is summarized. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed method can generate fast and accurate salvo attack.

A review of cooperative path planning of an unmanned aerial vehicle group

As a cutting-edge branch of unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)technology,the cooperation of a group of UAVs has attracted increasing attention from both civil and military sectors,due to its remarkable merits in functionality and flexibility for accomplishing complex extensive tasks,e.g.,search and rescue,fire-fighting,reconnaissance,and surveillance.Cooperative path planning(CPP)is a key problem for a UAV group in executing tasks collectively.In this paper,an attempt is made to perform a comprehensive review of the research on CPP for UAV groups.First,a generalized optimization framework of CPP problems is proposed from the viewpoint of three key elements,i.e.,task,UAV group,and environment,as a basis for a comprehensive classification of different types of CPP problems.By following the proposed framework,a taxonomy for the classification of existing CPP problems is proposed to describe different kinds of CPPs in a unified way.Then,a review and a statistical analysis are presented based on the taxonomy,emphasizing the coordinative elements in the existing CPP research.In addition,a collection of challenging CPP problems are provided to highlight future research directions.

Switching Control System Based on Robust Model Reference Adaptive Control

For conventional adaptive control, time-varying parametric uncertainty and unmodeled dynamics are ticklish problems, which will lead to undesirable performance or even instability and nonrobust behavior, respectively. In this study, a class of discrete-time switched systems with unmodeled dynamics is taken into consideration. Moreover, nonlinear systems are here supposed to be approximated with the class of switched systems considered in this paper, and thereby switching control design is investigated for both switched systems and nonlinear systems to assure stability and performance. For robustness against unmodeled dynamics and uncertainty, robust model reference adaptive control(RMRAC) law is developed as the basis of controller design for each individual subsystem in the switched systems or nonlinear systems. Meanwhile, two different switching laws are presented for switched systems and nonlinear systems, respectively. Thereby, the authors incorporate the corresponding switching law into the RMRAC law to construct two schemes of switching control respectively for the two kinds of controlled systems. Both closed-loop analyses and simulation examples are provided to illustrate the validity of the two proposed switching control schemes. Furthermore, as to the proposed scheme for nonlinear systems, its potential for practical application is demonstrated through simulations of longitudinal control for F-16 aircraft.

Analysis of security in cyber-physical systems

In recent years,cyber-physical systems(CPSs)have received much attention from both the academic world and the industrial world,which refer to a deep integration and coordination of physical and computational resources[1,2].Typical examples of CPSs can be found in smart grids,smart transportation systems,industrial control systems,water supply systems,and so on.Furthermore,many military systems

Overview of Research on Transformation of Multi-AUV Formations

Because of their wide detection range and rich functions,autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs)are widely used for observing the marine environment,for exploring natural resources,for security and defense purposes,and in many other fields of interest.Compared with a single AUV,a multi-AUV formation can better perform various tasks and adapt to complex underwater environments.With changes in the mission or environment,a change in the UAV formation may also be required.In the last decade,much progress has been made in the transformation of multi-AUV formations.In this paper,we aim to analyze the core concepts of multi-AUV formation transformation;summarize the effects of the AUV model,underwater environment,and communication between AUVs within formations on formation transformation;and elaborate on basic theories and implementation approaches for multi-AUV formation transformation.Moreover,this overview includes a bibliometric analysis of the related literature from multiple perspectives.Finally,some challenging issues and future research directions for multi-AUV formation transformation are highlighted.