Fixed Wing UAV Path Following in Wind With Input Constraints

Abstract

This paper considers the problem of fixed wing unmanned air vehicles following straight lines and orbits. To account for ambient winds, we use a path following approach as opposed to trajectory tracking. The unique feature of this paper is that we explicitly account for roll and flight path angle constraints. The guidance laws are derived using the theory of nested saturations, and explicit flight conditions are derived that guarantee convergence to the path. The method is validated by simulation and flight tests.