Trajectory Planning and Control Design for Aerial Autonomous Recovery of a Quadrotor

Abstract

One of the most essential approaches to expanding the capabilities of autonomous systems is through collaborative operation. A separated lift and thrust vertical takeoff and landing mother unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a quadrotor child UAV are used in this study for an autonomous recovery mission in an aerial child–mother unmanned system. We investigate the model predictive control (MPC) trajectory generator and the nonlinear trajectory tracking controller to solve the landing trajectory planning and high-speed trajectory tracking control problems of the child UAV in autonomous recovery missions. On this basis, the estimation of the mother UAV movement state is introduced and the autonomous recovery control framework is formed. The suggested control system framework in this research is validated using software-in-the-loop simulation. The simulation results show that the framework can not only direct the child UAV to complete the autonomous recovery while the mother UAV is hovering but also keep the child UAV tracking the recovery platform at a speed of at least 11 m/s while also guiding the child UAV to a safe landing.