Time-Critical Cooperative Control of Autonomous Air Vehicles

Time-Critical Cooperative Control of Autonomous Air Vehicles presents, in an easy-to-read style, the latest research conducted in the industry, while also introducing a set of novel ideas that illuminate a new approach to problem-solving. The book is virtually self-contained, giving the reader a complete, integrated presentation of the different concepts, mathematical tools, and control solutions needed to tackle and solve a number of problems concerning time-critical cooperative control of UAVs.

By including case studies of fixed-wing and multirotor UAVs, the book effectively broadens the scope of application of the methodologies developed. This theoretical presentation is complemented with the results of flight tests with real UAVs, and is an ideal reference for researchers and practitioners from academia, research labs, commercial companies, government workers, and those in the international aerospace industry.

Addresses important topics related to time-critical cooperative control of UAVsDescribes solutions to the problems rooted in solid dynamical systems theoryApplies the solutions developed to fixed-wing and multirotor UAVsIncludes the results of field tests with both classes of UAVs

Part One Time-Critical Cooperative Control: An Overview 1. Introduction 2. General Framework for Vehicle Cooperation

Part Two Cooperative Control of Fixed-Wing Air Vehicles 3. 3D Path-Following Control of Fixed-Wing Air Vehicles 4. Time Coordination of Fixed-Wing Air Vehicles 5. Meeting Absolute Temporal Specifications 6. Time Coordination Under Quantization 7. Time Coordination Under Low Connectivity 8. Flight Tests: Cooperative Road Search

Part Three Cooperative Control of Multirotor Air Vehicles 9. 3D Path-Following Control of Multirotor Air Vehicles 10. Time Coordination of Multirotor Air Vehicles 11. Flight Tests of Multirotor UAVs

Part Four Final Considerations 12. Summary and Concluding Remarks

Appendix A. Mathematical Background B. Proofs and Derivations