Continuous Airborne Communication Relay Approach Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

As a result of unmanned aerial vehicles being widely used in different areas, studies about increasing the autonomous capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles are gaining momentum. Today, unmanned aerial vehicle platforms are especially used in reconnaissance, surveillance and communications areas. In this study, in order to achieve continuous long-range communication relay infrastructure, artificial potential field based path planning of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles is discussed. A novel dynamic approach to relay-chain concept is proposed to maintain the communication between vehicles. Besides dynamically keeping vehicles in range and appropriate position to maintain communication relay, artificial potential field based path planning also provides collision avoidance system. The performance of the proposed system is measured by applying a simulation under the Matlab Simulink and Network Simulator environment. Artificial potential field based flight patterns are generated in Matlab, and performance of the communication between vehicles is measured in Network Simulation environment. Finally the simulation results show that an airborne communication relay can be established autonomously by using artificial potential filed based autonomous path planning approach. Continues state communication is provided by obtaining a resistant communication relay which depends on artificial potential field based positioning algorithm.     

基于定制内点法的多无人机协同轨迹规划

为提高多无人机(Unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV)协同轨迹规划(Cooperative trajectory planning, CTP)效率, 在解耦序列凸优化(Sequential convex programming, SCP)方法基础上, 提出一种高效求解凸优化子问题的定制内点法. 首先引入松弛变量, 构建子问题的等价描述形式, 并推导该形式下的子问题最优性条件. 然后在预测−校正原对偶内点法的框架下, 构建一套高效求解最优性条件方程组的计算流程以降低子问题计算复杂度, 并利用约束矩阵特征提出一种快速计算原对偶搜索方向的方法以提高规划效率. 仿真结果表明, 在解耦序列凸优化框架下, 定制内点法可将协同轨迹规划耗时降低一个数量级, 达到秒级.     

An Integral Framework of Task Assignment and Path Planning for Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Dynamic Environments

In this paper, a hierarchical framework for task assignment and path planning of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a dynamic environment is presented. For multi-agent scenarios in dynamic environments, a candidate algorithm should be able to replan for a new path to perform the updated tasks without any collision with obstacles or other agents during the mission. In this paper, we propose an intersection-based algorithm for path generation and a negotiation-based algorithm for task assignment since these algorithms are able to generate admissible paths at a smaller computing cost. The path planning algorithm is also augmented with a potential field-based trajectory replanner, which solves for a detouring trajectory around other agents or pop-up obstacles. For validation, test scenarios for multiple UAVs to perform cooperative missions in dynamic environments are considered. The proposed algorithms are implemented on a fixed-wing UAVs testbed in outdoor environment and showed satisfactory performance to accomplish the mission in the presence of static and pop-up obstacles and other agents.     

Collision-Free 4D Trajectory Planning in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Assembly and Structure Construction

This paper presents a new system for assembly and structure construction with multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) which automatically identifies conflicts among them. The system proposes the most effective solution considering the available computation time. After detecting conflicts between UAVs, the system resolves them cooperatively using a collision-free 4D trajectory planning algorithm based on a simple one-at-a-time strategy to quickly compute a feasible but non-optimal initial solution and a stochastic optimization technique named Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to improve the initial solution. An anytime approach using PSO is applied. It yields trajectories whose quality improves when available computation time increases. Thus, the method could be applied in real-time depending on the available computation time. The method has been validated with simulations in scenarios with multiple UAVs in a common workspace and experiment in an indoor testbed.     

无人机动态路径规划可视化仿真系统研究

针对现阶段无人机动态路径规划算法仿真可视性差和飞行环境仿真不足等问题,提出了一种基于Cesium的无人机动态路径规划可视化仿真系统;该系统在基于Client/Server(B/S)架构基础上,使用开源三维虚拟地球Cesium可视化引擎,按照可视化系统的总体设计及流程,利用坐标系转换方法与三维可视化技术,构建了一个无人机在真实地理环境中动态路径规划可视化仿真系统,实现了三维人工势场法路径规划的动态可视化仿真展示;实验表明,该系统不仅能够直观展示无人机在真实地理环境下的动态路径规划过程效果,还能够为相关研究提供直观、全面的可视化分析和评估手段。     

基于PH曲线的无人机路径规划算法

研究了无人机可飞行路径规划问题,传统路径规划算法不能生成满足无人机运动学约束的可飞行路径.为解决上述问题,提出了将曲率连续的Pythagorean Hodograph (PH)曲线(又称勾股速端曲线)直接用于无人机路径规划的方法,利用PH曲线曲率连续、曲线平滑以及有理特性,在已知威胁的环境中可直接得到满足最大曲率约束且曲率连续的无人机可飞行路径.采用遗传模拟退火算法搜索避开环境中威胁体,并满足约束条件的最优PH路径,使仿真过程结合遗传算法和模拟退火算法的优点,取长补短,提高搜索效率,加强全局搜索能力.仿真结果表明,遗传模拟退火算法能在较少的进化代数下得到最优路径解,且所得的满足约束条件的PH路径曲率连续,为无人机飞行控制提供了依据.     

Distributed Control for Groups of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Performing Surveillance Missions and Providing Relay Communication Network Services

This article presents the development of an autonomous and distributed movement coordination algorithm for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) swarms used in communication relay networks and in exploratory area surveillance missions. This work studies the performance of a hybrid algorithm combining pheromone maps, market auction paradigms and proactive link maintenance mechanisms to create a self-organizing flying network capable of providing network support for the UAV nodes already engaged in exploration and targeting tasks in the surveillance missions. In order to validate the proposal, simulations were performed assessing the desired performance aspects related to the target allocation and network connectivity. The acquired results provide evidence that the proposed solution is able to maintain the balance between the performance goals.     

基于几何法的无人机航迹规划

针对无人机的三维航迹规划问题,提出了一种基于几何法的航迹规划算法.通过对无人机飞行航迹的分析,将无人机航迹看作是由一系列直线、圆弧和螺旋线的有序组成.研究了无人机最大过载系数、最大平飞速度、升限等性能与航迹可行性的关系,得出生成最优航迹的限定条件.讨论了几何法无人机航迹规划的步骤.按照几何原理对无人机航迹进行了规划,将无人战斗机的机动性能在航迹中充分体现出来.计算机仿真结果表明用几何法规划的航迹具有较好的适用性.     

Three-dimensional Route Planning for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in a Risk Environment

This paper introduces a new approach for three-dimensional flight path optimization for unmanned aerial vehicles. It considers the performance of the air vehicle as well as mission specific requirements including the avoidance of no-fly areas, risk reduction in threat environments by terrain following flight or terrain masking low-level flight, and other regulations such as fixed release and approach vectors at the start and destination locations. The focus of the approach is on a proper discretization of the airspace by a network which allows the application of standard algorithms of combinatorial optimization. In contrast to conventional discretizations by grids or grid-like graphs, our network is non-regular since created by some random process. Moreover, each path in the network corresponds to a twice continuously differentiable trajectory which obeys the kinematic restrictions of the air vehicle and which is feasible with respect to the operational requirements of the mission. With suitable costs defined on the edges of the network, a minimum-cost path calculation allows to identify a trajectory of shortest length, shortest flight time, minimum flight height, or minimum visibility from the ground. The latter objectives aim to minimize the probability of being detected by hostile forces, hence increasing the survivability of the air vehicle.     

Optimal Path Planning for Two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in DRSS Localization

International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems - Optimal path planning for three or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in radio source localization has been studied extensively; but...     

无人机多阶段航迹预测协同任务规划

针对多无人机(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs)协同控制问题,提出了一种UAVs多阶段航迹预测分布式任务规划方法;定义从一次任务分配开始到其中一项任务完成为一个任务周期;在每个规划周期,首先,各UAV使用A*算法快速预测到所有任务目标的路径,提供至任务分配;然后,采用聚类算法修改目标价值向量,协商分配结果,并实时计算探测范围内的最短路径;最后,采用三次B样条曲线平滑所分配的最短路径,在线规划出满足飞行约束的飞行航迹;通过仿真实验对算法的有效性进行了验证,结果表明,提出的算法能够实时获得近似最优的任务分配结果并规划出可飞行航迹,并有效处理突发任务。     

Online Two-Dimensional Route Planning for a Group of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Journal of Computer and Systems Sciences International - This paper suggests a novel approach to online two-dimensional route planning for a coordinated flight of a group of unmanned aerial...     

基于粒子群优化算法的无人机航迹规划

无人机作为侦察和作战的重要手段,重要的是保证侦察目标的准确性,对任务/航迹规划系统是无人机实现自主飞行和自主攻击的关键技术。在给出无人机航迹规划问题描述的基础上,提出一种基于粒子群优化算法的无人机航迹规划方法,利用粒子群优化算法,将约束条件和搜索算法相结合,从而有效减小搜索空间,得到一条全局最优路径并进行仿真。仿真结果表明,规划方法能够快速有效地完成规划任务,获得满意的航迹,满足无人机作战要求,具有重要的现实意义。     

A Continuous Local Motion Planning Framework for Unmanned Vehicles in Complex Environments

As the complexity of an unmanned vehicle’s operational environment increases so does the need to consider the obstacle space continually, and this is aided by splitting the motion planning functionality into distinct global and local layers. This paper presents a new continuous local motion planning framework, where the output and control space elements of the traditional receding horizon control problem are separated into distinct layers. This separation reduces the complexity of the local motion trajectory optimisation, enabling faster design and increased horizon length. The focus of this paper is on the output space component of this framework. Bezier polynomial functions are used to describe local motion trajectories which are constrained to vehicle performance limits and optimised to track a global trajectory. Development and testing is in simulation, targeted at a nonlinear model of a quadrotor unmanned air vehicle. The defined framework is used to provide situation-aware tracking of a global trajectory in the presence of static and dynamic obstacles, as well as realistic turbulence and gusts. Also demonstrated is the immediate-term decentralised deconfliction of multiple unmanned vehicles, and multiple formations of unmanned vehicles.     

一种高吞吐量的无人机轨迹规划方法

无人机由于具有完全可控的移动性以及快速部署等优点,成为无线通信领域的研究热点。研究一种无人机支持的多播信道,利用无人机作为移动发射机向多个地面节点发送信息,在无人机的有限任务通信时间内,设计一种连续圆飞行轨迹方法。面向随机分布的多个地面节点,设定距离阈值对地面节点进行分组,通过求解新型旅行商问题确定无人机对各个分组的通信顺序,在满足无人机与地面节点通信覆盖需求的情况下,对圆心、无人机的飞行速度以及飞行半径进行求解,确定各个分组的圆形飞行轨迹,进而生成连续圆飞行轨迹。为实现吞吐量最大化目标,基于连续圆轨迹,在轨迹、功率一定情况下进行功率和轨迹优化,并通过交替联合优化无人机轨迹和功率以提高无人机对地通信系统整体性能。仿真结果表明,与基准方案相比,该方法系统吞吐量明显提高。     

Obstacle Avoidance for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

This work is framed within the PITVANT project and aims to contribute to the development of obstacle avoidance techniques for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The paper describes the design, implementation and experimental evaluation of a potential field obstacle avoidance algorithm based on the fluid mechanics panel methods. Obstacles and the UAV goal position are modeled by harmonic functions thus avoiding the presence of local minima. Adaptations are made to apply the method to the automatic control of a fixed wing aircraft, relying only on a local map of the environment that is updated with information from sensors onboard the aircraft. Hardware-In-Loop simulations show the good performance of the proposed algorithm in the envisioned mission scenarios for the PITVANT vehicles.     

基于粒子群优化算法的无人机航迹规划

提出一种基于粒子群优化算法的无人机航迹规划方法,利用粒子群优化算法,在等效数字地图中实现单个目标点的无人机航迹规划,并对算法性能进行仔细分析,仿真结果表明,该方法能够快速有效地完成航迹规划任务,得到满意的三维航迹。     

基于粒子群优化算法的无人机航迹规划

提出一种基于粒子群优化算法的无人机航迹规划方法,利用粒子群优化算法,在等效数字地图中实现单个目标点的无人机航迹规划,并对算法性能进行仔细分析,仿真结果表明,该方法能够快速有效地完成航迹规划任务．得到满意的三维航迹。