Troy Bruggemann

ABSTRACT This paper presents a novel evolutionary computation approach to three-dimensional path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with tactical and kinematic constraints. A genetic algorithm (GA) is modified and extended for path planning. Two GAs are seeded at the initial and final positions with a common objective to minimise their distance apart under given UAV constraints. This is accomplished by the synchronous optimisation of subsequent control vectors. The proposed evolutionary computation approach is called synchronous genetic algorithm (SGA). The sequence of control vectors generated by the SGA constitutes to a near-optimal path plan. The resulting path plan exhibits no discontinuity when transitioning from curve to straight trajectories. Experiments and results show that the paths generated by the SGA are within 2% of the optimal solution. Such a path planner when implemented on a hardware accelerator, such as field programmable gate array chips, can be used in the UAV as on-board replanner, as well as in ground station systems for assisting in high precision planning and modelling of mission scenarios.

ABSTRACT The feasibility of using an in-hardware implementation of a genetic algorithm (GA) to solve the computationally expensive travelling salesman problem (TSP) is explored, especially in regard to hardware resource requirements for problem and population sizes. We investigate via numerical experiments whether a small population size might prove sufficient to obtain reasonable quality solutions for the TSP, thereby permitting relatively resource efficient hardware implementation on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Software experiments on two TSP benchmarks involving 48 and 532 cities were used to explore the extent to which population size can be reduced without compromising solution quality, and results show that a GA allowed to run for a large number of generations with a smaller population size can yield solutions of comparable quality to those obtained using a larger population. This finding is then used to investigate feasible problem sizes on a targeted Virtex-7 vx485T-2 FPGA platform via exploration of hardware resource requirements for memory and data flow operations.

The future emergence of many types of airborne vehicles and unpiloted aircraft in the national airspace means collision avoidance is of primary concern in an uncooperative airspace environment. The ability to replicate a pilot{'}s see and avoid capability using cameras coupled with vision based avoidance control is an important part of an overall collision avoidance strategy. But unfortunately without range

An onboard payload may be seen in most instances as the {``}Raison d{'}Etre{''} for a UAV. It will define its capabilities, usability and hence market value. Large and medium UAV payloads exhibit significant differences in size and computing capability when compared with small UAVs. The latter have stringent size, weight, and power requirements, typically referred as SWaP, while the former

Fixed-wing aircraft equipped with downward pointing cameras and/or LiDAR can be used for inspecting approximately piecewise linear assets such as oil-gas pipelines, roads and power-lines. Automatic control of such aircraft is important from a productivity and safety point of view (long periods of precision manual flight at low-altitude is not considered reasonable from a safety perspective). This paper investigates the effect of any unwanted coupling between guidance and autopilot loops (typically caused by unmodeled delays in the aircraft's response), and the specific impact of any unwanted dynamics on the performance of aircraft undertaking inspection of piecewise linear corridor assets (such as powerlines). Simulation studies and experimental flight tests are used to demonstrate the benefits of a simple compensator in mitigating the unwanted lateral oscillatory behaviour (or coupling) that is caused by unmodeled time constants in the aircraft dynamics.

Greer, Duncan G. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Greer,_Duncan.html>, Bruggemann, Troy S. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Bruggemann,_Troy.html>, Walker, Rodney A. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Walker,_Rodney.html>, & Feng, Yanming <http://eprints ...

ABSTRACT Aerial inspection of pipelines, powerlines, and other large linear infrastructure networks has emerged in a number of civilian remote sensing applications. Challenges relate to automating inspection flight for under-actuated aircraft with LiDAR/camera sensor constraints whilst subjected to wind disturbances. This paper presents new improved turn planning strategies with guidance suitable for automation of linear infrastructure inspection able to reduce inspection flight distance by including wind information. Simulation and experimental flight tests confirmed the flight distance saving, and the proposed guidance strategies exhibited good tracking performance in a range of wind conditions.

ABSTRACT The low-altitude aircraft inspection of powerlines, or other linear infrastructure networks, is emerging as an important application requiring specialised control technologies. Despite some recent advances in automated control related to this application, control of the underactuated aircraft vertical dynamics has not been completely achieved, especially in the presence of thermal disturbances. Rejection of thermal disturbances represents a key challenge to the control of inspection aircraft due to the underactuated nature of the dynamics and specified speed, altitude, and pitch constraints. This paper proposes a new vertical controller consisting of a backstepping elevator controller with feedforward-feedback throttle controller. The performance of our proposed approach is evaluated against two existing candidate controllers.

An onboard payload may be seen in most instances as the {``}Raison d{'}Etre{''} for a UAV. It will define its capabilities, usability and hence market value. Large and medium UAV payloads exhibit significant differences in size and computing capability when compared with small UAVs. The latter have stringent size, weight, and power requirements, typically referred as SWaP, while the former

Bruggemann, Troy S. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Bruggemann,_Troy.html>, Walker, Rodney A. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Walker,_Rodney.html>, & Feng, Yanming <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Feng,_Yanming.html> (2006) High Integrity GPS/Inertial ...

Page 1. GPS L1 Carrier Phase Navigation Processing By Troy S. Bruggemann B. Eng. (Hons) Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems Queensland University of Technology A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree ...

... Copyright 2005 (please consult author) Accessed from http://eprints.qut.edu.au Page 2. TroyBruggemann1, Duncan Greer2, Rodney Walker3. GARDSim - "A GPS Receiver Simulation Environment for Integrated Navigation System Development and Analysis" ...

... The integrity monitoring scheme considered for this system is the Normalised Solution Separation Method, by Young and McGraw (2003). ... (2006), but incorporates the integrity monitoring algorithm from Young and McGraw (2003) as well as the aerodynamic model component. ...

This paper presents a feasible 3D collision avoidance approach for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The proposed strategy aims to achieve the desired relative bearing in the horizontal plane and relative elevation in the vertical plane so that the host aircraft is able to avoid collision with the intruder aircraft in 3D. The host aircraft will follow a desired trajectory

... Greer, Duncan, DG and Bruggemann, Troy TS and Walker, Rodney RA (2006) Integrity Coasting Concept for General Aviation Users of the Ground ... the US The WAAS is a Space Based Augmentation System (SBAS) which consists of 38 reference stations, 2 master stations, and ...

... Sigma Point Kalman Filters for GPS Navigation with Integrity in Aviation ... ABSTRACT This paper presents an investigation into the benefits of Sigma Point Kalman Filters (SPKF) applied to GPSOnly estimation problem for highintegrity navigation in aviation applications. ...

This paper presents a feasible spatial collision avoidance approach for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The proposed strategy aims to achieve the desired relative bearing in the horizontal plane and relative elevation in the vertical plane so that the host aircraft is able to avoid collision with the intruder aircraft in 3D. The host aircraft will follow a desired trajectory