Safe Periodic Trochoidal Paths for Fixed-Wing UAVs in Confined Windy Environments

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Lim, Jaeyoung, Rohr, David, Stastny, Thomas, Siegwart, Roland
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Lim, Jaeyoung
Rohr, David
Stastny, Thomas
Siegwart, Roland
author_facet Lim, Jaeyoung
Rohr, David
Stastny, Thomas
Siegwart, Roland
contents Due to their energy-efficient flight characteristics, fixed-wing type UAVs are useful robotic tools for long-range and duration flight applications in large-scale environments. However, flying fixed-wing UAV in confined environments, such as mountainous regions, can be challenging due to their limited maneuverability and sensitivity to uncertain wind conditions. In this work, we first analyze periodic trochoidal paths that can be used to define wind-aware terminal loitering states. We then propose a wind-invariant safe set of trochoidal paths along with a switching strategy for selecting the corresponding minimum-extent periodic path type. Finally, we show that planning with this minimum-extent set allows us to safely reach up to 10 times more locations in mountainous terrain compared to planning with a single, conservative loitering maneuver.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_00706
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Safe Periodic Trochoidal Paths for Fixed-Wing UAVs in Confined Windy Environments
Lim, Jaeyoung
Rohr, David
Stastny, Thomas
Siegwart, Roland
Robotics
Due to their energy-efficient flight characteristics, fixed-wing type UAVs are useful robotic tools for long-range and duration flight applications in large-scale environments. However, flying fixed-wing UAV in confined environments, such as mountainous regions, can be challenging due to their limited maneuverability and sensitivity to uncertain wind conditions. In this work, we first analyze periodic trochoidal paths that can be used to define wind-aware terminal loitering states. We then propose a wind-invariant safe set of trochoidal paths along with a switching strategy for selecting the corresponding minimum-extent periodic path type. Finally, we show that planning with this minimum-extent set allows us to safely reach up to 10 times more locations in mountainous terrain compared to planning with a single, conservative loitering maneuver.
title Safe Periodic Trochoidal Paths for Fixed-Wing UAVs in Confined Windy Environments
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.00706