Regularized Distributed MPC for UAV Networks: Stabilizing Coupled Motion and Hybrid Beam Alignment

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Vlachos, Evangelos
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Vlachos, Evangelos
author_facet Vlachos, Evangelos
contents This letter investigates the coupled control problem in UAV networks utilizing high-frequency hybrid beamsteering. While phased arrays enable rapid electronic scanning, their finite Field of View (FoV) imposes a fundamental constraint that necessitates active mechanical steering of the airframe to maintain connectivity. We propose a decentralized Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework that jointly optimizes trajectory and heading to maximize network sum-capacity subject to safety constraints. Addressing the numerical instability caused by fast-fading channel nulls, we introduce a regularized surrogate cost function based on discrete spatial smoothing. We analytically prove that this approximation bounds the cost curvature, restoring the Lipschitz continuity of the gradient. Crucially, we derive a sufficient condition linking this Lipschitz constant to the controller gain, guaranteeing the contraction and linear convergence of the distributed best-response dynamics. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm effectively navigates the trade-off between electronic beam tracking and kinematic safety, significantly systematically outperforming velocity-aligned baselines.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_18222
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Regularized Distributed MPC for UAV Networks: Stabilizing Coupled Motion and Hybrid Beam Alignment
Vlachos, Evangelos
Systems and Control
Signal Processing
This letter investigates the coupled control problem in UAV networks utilizing high-frequency hybrid beamsteering. While phased arrays enable rapid electronic scanning, their finite Field of View (FoV) imposes a fundamental constraint that necessitates active mechanical steering of the airframe to maintain connectivity. We propose a decentralized Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework that jointly optimizes trajectory and heading to maximize network sum-capacity subject to safety constraints. Addressing the numerical instability caused by fast-fading channel nulls, we introduce a regularized surrogate cost function based on discrete spatial smoothing. We analytically prove that this approximation bounds the cost curvature, restoring the Lipschitz continuity of the gradient. Crucially, we derive a sufficient condition linking this Lipschitz constant to the controller gain, guaranteeing the contraction and linear convergence of the distributed best-response dynamics. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm effectively navigates the trade-off between electronic beam tracking and kinematic safety, significantly systematically outperforming velocity-aligned baselines.
title Regularized Distributed MPC for UAV Networks: Stabilizing Coupled Motion and Hybrid Beam Alignment
topic Systems and Control
Signal Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.18222