Successive Convexification for 6-DoF Powered Descent Guidance with Compound State-Triggered Constraints

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel continuous formulation for compound state-triggered constraints, enabling advanced constraint logic in 6-DoF powered descent guidance problems solved via successive convexification.

Contribution

It introduces a new continuous formulation for compound state-triggered constraints, allowing complex logical conditions in optimal control without combinatorial complexity.

Findings

Successfully applied to 6-DoF descent guidance simulations.

Demonstrated velocity-triggered angle of attack constraint effectiveness.

Showed collision avoidance with complex trigger conditions.

Abstract

This paper introduces a continuous formulation for compound state-triggered constraints, which are generalizations of the recently introduced state-triggered constraints. State-triggered constraints are different from ordinary constraints found in optimal control in that they use a state-dependent trigger condition to enable or disable a constraint condition, and can be expressed as continuous functions that are readily handled by successive convexification. Compound state-triggered constraints go a step further, giving designers the ability to compose trigger and constraint conditions using Boolean and and or operations. Simulations of the 6-degree-of-freedom (DoF) powered descent guidance problem obtained using successive convexification are presented to illustrate the utility of state-triggered and compound state-triggered constraints. The examples employ a velocity-triggered angle of attack constraint to alleviate aerodynamic loads, and a collision avoidance constraint to avoid large geological formations. In particular, the velocity-triggered angle of attack constraint demonstrates the ability of state-triggered constraints to introduce new constraint phases to the solution without resorting to combinatorial techniques.

Figures