Turning Direction Determination using Error Dynamics-Based Guidance Law for Stationary Target Observation

Abstract

Guidance laws are proposed to enable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to accomplish stationary target observation missions. In this paper, a nonlinear guidance law is designed utilizing the characteristics of distance error dynamics. The turning direction of the UAVs is very important for multiple UAVs operation. The turning direction of UAV is related to the line-of-sight angular acceleration of the UAV. The proposed guidance law is analyzed to provide a guideline for selecting guidance gains taking into consideration the turning direction. Numerical simulations are performed to verify the performance of the proposed guidance law.

Multiple UAVs Nonlinear Guidance Laws for Stationary Target Observation with Waypoint Incidence Angle Constraint

“…In this section, the distance error dynamics-based guidance law is briefly summarized [7,8]. Consider a point mass UAV model, as shown in Fig.…”

“…Then, the equations of motion can be represented as (15) (16) (17) where, R is the distance between the UAV and the target, V M is the velocity, a M is the acceleration, and σ is the line-of-sight to the target. The distance error is defined as Two guidance gains, k 1 and k 2 , can be determined using various methods, such as the pole selection method, oscillation motion method, and Lyapunovbased gain selection method [7,8]. Note that the first derivative term of the LOS angle to the target is in the denominator of the guidance command, in eq.…”

“…Distance error dynamics were also utilized, to design a guidance law for performing stationary target observation [7,8]. Distance error and Line-of-Sight (LOS) information were used to guide a UAV to the observation circle, utilizing the characteristics of distance error dynamics.…”

“…In particular, target observation mission has been widely studied, because it has very important applications, such as aerial reconnaissance and surveillance. Multiple small UAVs may substitute for a large UAV, for performing complicated missions, due to their low cost and easy operation, and therefore various guidance laws for multiple UAVs have been developed [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8].…”