Adaptive wind estimation, trajectory generation, and flight control for aerial systems using motion data

Abstract

Adaptive wind estimation, trajectory generation, and flight control for aerial systems using motion data is provided. The adaptive wind estimation approach may be implemented using onboard computing power, may rapidly converge to true values, may be computationally inexpensive, and may not require any specific hardware or specific vehicle maneuvers for the convergence. There may be no prior knowledge of the wind field, using the motion of the aircraft itself rather than wind sensors. The algorithm may include three blocks. An identification/estimation block may identify aerodynamic drag coefficients in still-air flight and estimate the wind components in moving and variable air flight. A navigation block may generate feasible trajectories, taking into account the estimated wind field. A control block may generate motor/engine thrust commands necessary to track the generated trajectories while compensating for the wind disturbance.