A Decoupled Approach for Trajectory Generation for an Unmanned Rotorcraft

Abstract

A decoupled approach to trajectory generation based on a cubic spline geometry formulation is introduced. The distinct consideration of boundary conditions yields a continuously differentiable trajectory definition such that path tracking errors are minimized during flight. A curvature-based, dimensionless space-filling curve allows to determine a suitable velocity profile along the path for hover-capable vehicles. Tracking of the trajectory is enabled by a conversion between the spline parameters and the arc length of the spline. In the past years, this approach in combination with a suitable trajectory tracking control has been successfully flight tested with an unmanned helicopter.