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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Multiple Uav Cooperative Search Under Collision Avoidance And Limited Range Communication Constraints, Randal W. Beard, Timothy W. Mclain
Multiple Uav Cooperative Search Under Collision Avoidance And Limited Range Communication Constraints, Randal W. Beard, Timothy W. Mclain
Faculty Publications
This paper focuses on the problem of cooperatively searching, using a team of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), an area of interest that contains regions of opportunity and regions of potential hazard. The objective of the UAV team is to visit as many opportunities as possible, while avoiding as many hazards as possible. To enable cooperation, the UAVs are constrained to stay within communication range of one another. Collision avoidance is also required. Algorithms for team-optimal and individually-optimal/team-suboptimal solutions are developed and their computational complexity compared. Simulation results demonstrating the feasibility of the cooperative search algorithms are presented.
Autonomous Vehicle Technologies For Small Fixed Wing Uavs, Derek B. Kingston, Randal Beard, Timothy Mclain, Michael Larsen, Wei Ren
Autonomous Vehicle Technologies For Small Fixed Wing Uavs, Derek B. Kingston, Randal Beard, Timothy Mclain, Michael Larsen, Wei Ren
Faculty Publications
Autonomous unmanned air vehicle flight control systems require robust path generation to account for terrain obstructions, weather, and moving threats such as radar, jammers, and unfriendly aircraft. In this paper, we outline a feasible, hierarchal approach for real-time motion planning of small autonomous fixed-wing UAVs. The approach divides the trajectory generation into four tasks: waypoint path planning, dynamic trajectory smoothing, trajectory tracking, and low-level autopilot compensation. The waypoint path planner determines the vehicle's route without regard for the dynamic constraints of the vehicle. This results in a significant reduction in the path search space, enabling the generation of complicated paths …
Learning Real-Time A* Path Planner For Sensing Closely-Spaced Targets From An Aircraft, Jason K. Howlett, Michael A. Goodrich, Timothy W. Mclain
Learning Real-Time A* Path Planner For Sensing Closely-Spaced Targets From An Aircraft, Jason K. Howlett, Michael A. Goodrich, Timothy W. Mclain
Faculty Publications
This work develops an any-time path planner, based on the learning real-time A* (LRTA*) search, for generating flyable paths that allow an aircraft with a specified sensor footprint to sense a group of closely-spaced targets. The LRTA* algorithm searches a tree of flyable paths for the branch that accomplishes the desired objectives in the shortest distance. The tree of paths is created by assembling primitive turn and straight sections of a specified step size. The operating parameters for the LRTA* search directly influence the running time and path-length performance of the search. A modified LRTA* search is presented that terminates …
Cooperative Path Planning For Timing Critical Missions, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard
Cooperative Path Planning For Timing Critical Missions, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard
Faculty Publications
This paper presents a cooperative path planning approach for teams of vehicles operating under timing constraints. A cooperative control approach based on coordination variables and coordination functions is introduced and applied to cooperative timing problems. Three types of timing constraints are considered: simultaneous arrival, tight sequencing, and loose sequencing. Simulation results demonstrating the approach are presented.