Real-time 3D wind field prediction onboard UAVs for safe flight in complex terrain

Oettershagen, Philipp; Müller, Benjamin; Achermann, Florian; Siegwart, Roland

doi:10.1109/aero.2019.8742160

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Changes in elevation based on the reverse distance weighting approach [23], [24] are introduced to this method to construct a new weight function. The weight function is as follows:…”

Section: A Existing Wind Field Interpolation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, the ratio of vertical height and horizontal distance was defined as the slope gradient. On the basis of a literature review [23], [25], [26], the effects of mountain slopes on wind speed were summarized. When the mountain slope gradient was 0.2-0.65, the slope was viewed as a gentle one.…”

Section: A Existing Wind Field Interpolation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the research method in the literature [23], [24], the relationship between different mountain slope gradients and wind vectors was analyzed by collecting the wind vector data near Wenchuan. In the present study, the wind vector data from the Wenchuan Weather Tower [27] were collected.…”

Section: B Analysis Of Wind Vector Law Based On Mountain Slopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Safe Path Correction Method for Ambulance Aircraft Based on Low-Altitude Wind Prediction

Zhang

2020

IEEE Access

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The flight height of ambulance aircraft during aviation emergency rescue is low. Low-altitude wind fields and complex terrains may threaten the flight safety of rescue aircraft and thus limit rescue efficiency. The path planning of ambulance aircraft with consideration of low-altitude wind fields and terrains was presented in this study. First, a new wind field interpolation method was proposed to address the shortages of traditional reverse-distance wind field interpolation methods that neglect the effects of mountain slopes on wind vectors. This new interpolation method comprehensively considers the effects of terrain elevation, topographical slope, underlying surface roughness, and distance on wind vectors. The wind field interpolation results could accurately reflect the influence of topographic slopes on wind vectors and were close to practical results. Second, the effects of wind fields of different wind directions on flight paths were analyzed in view of the effects of low-altitude wind fields and restrictions of terrain obstacles. On the basis of the results, a method for correcting corresponding path nodes given aircraft performance constraints was proposed to ensure path safety. The connection matrix was solved by combining the A * algorithm and a 3D meshing technique. The safe path planning method for low-altitude rescue was concluded by combining a path-solving algorithm and the correction method for path nodes. Finally, the topographical features from Wenchuan and Chengdu to Mianyang during the Wenchuan earthquake were simulated with a constructed digital equation model. In the simulation environment, the safety of the path plan of the ambulance aircraft was verified under the influence of low-altitude wind fields. INDEX TERMS Path planning, wind field interpolation method, topographic slope, A * algorithm and a 3D meshing algorithm, digital equation model.

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“…Changes in elevation based on the reverse distance weighting approach [23], [24] are introduced to this method to construct a new weight function. The weight function is as follows:…”

Section: A Existing Wind Field Interpolation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Existing Wind Field Interpolation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Safe Path Correction Method for Ambulance Aircraft Based on Low-Altitude Wind Prediction

Zhang

2020

IEEE Access

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“…The expansion of this last expression will lead to the quartic time-optimal polynomial, whose roots yield the optimal travel time t f . Calling v g (t f ) = [v gxf , v gyf ] T , and using (15) in (16), after a tedious algebraic manipulation, we finally come to the quartic time-optimal polynomial in t f as:…”

Section: B Evaluation Of the Optimal Costatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the nominal straight flight. Solutions for the timeoptimal problem with free or constant airspeed flight are found in [9], [14], [25]- [27], as well as solutions based on Pursuit or Dubins [11], [28], and other guidance algorithms based on numerical procedures [10], [12], [15], [29], [30]. The classic Zermelo-Markov-Dubins problem has been studied in [28], but again using sharp turns and assuming constant speed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal Aerial Guidance in General Wind Fields

Paiva¹,

Pereira²

2020

Preprint

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<div>This paper presents an optimal guidance approach</div><div>for a UAV point-to-point navigation in 2D, under wind perturbation, with a general desired airspeed profile. A cost function weighting the travel time and the control effort is minimized through the Pontryagin’s Minimum Principle, involving the derivatives of the airspeed velocities. Two iterative procedures for a guidance algorithm under general wind fields were developed, including an analytical solution for the optimal heading in minimum-time paths. Different cases from the literature are compared and a hard wind scenario test is presented.</div>

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Energy optimal 3D flight path planning for unmanned aerial vehicle in urban environments

2023

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This paper presents a general approach to compute energy optimal flight paths for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in urban environments. To minimize the energy required, the flight path is optimized by exploiting local wind phenomena, i.e., upwind and tailwind areas from the airflow around buildings. A realistic wind field of a model urban environment typical for continental Europe is generated using PALM, a Large Eddy Simulation tool. The calculated wind field feeds into the flight path planning algorithm to minimize the energy required. A specifically tailored A-Star-Algorithm is used to optimize flight trajectories. The approach is demonstrated on a delivery UAV benchmark scenario. Energy optimal flight paths are compared to shortest way trajectories for 12 different scenarios. It is shown that energy can be saved significantly while flying in a city using knowledge of the current wind field.

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Real-time 3D wind field prediction onboard UAVs for safe flight in complex terrain

Cited by 5 publications

References 23 publications

Safe Path Correction Method for Ambulance Aircraft Based on Low-Altitude Wind Prediction

Safe Path Correction Method for Ambulance Aircraft Based on Low-Altitude Wind Prediction

Optimal Aerial Guidance in General Wind Fields

Energy optimal 3D flight path planning for unmanned aerial vehicle in urban environments

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