Receding Horizon Control Using Random Search for UAV Navigation with Passive, Non-cooperative Sensing

*This paper presents a receding time horizon (RTH) control algorithm for an unmanned aircraft using random search to generate the candidate maneuver set. Receding time horizon control methods are advantageous because they require limited computational resources compared to global planning methods and offer an explicit mechanism for responding to dynamic environments with obstacles. Previous work applying RTH methods to autonomous aircraft navigation have assumed perfect sensing. In this work, passive, non-cooperative sensing is considered and the measurement uncertainty is incorporated into the control cost using the Fisher Information Matrix. Simulation results are presented that demonstrate application of the algorithm to waypoint navigation, trajectory following, safe exploration of unknown environments, and aircraft see-and-avoid.

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