Robust Fixed-Wing UAV Guidance with Circulating Artificial Vector Fields

This paper presents a guidance vector field strategy to control a fixed-wing UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)subject to uncertainty in order to converge to and circulate a closed curve in ℝ
³
. The control system is designed based on a reference model of the airplane with constrained input controls. The law is independent of the vector field's structure, however, some analysis considers a consolidated vector field approach. Asymptotic stability is proven with Lyapunov Theory and ultimate bounds are found when bounded uncertainties are taken into account. The control law is continuous except in the surroundings of the unavoidable field's singularities. A theorem ensures asymptotic convergence when a switch is made. Simulations with a 6 DOF, 12 states realistic aircraft model demonstrate the efficiency of the strategy and its advantages.