Real-Time Trajectory Planning for Aerial Perching

TL;DR

This paper introduces a real-time trajectory planning method for aerial perching that adaptively adjusts terminal states and minimizes tangential speed, validated on a micro aerial robot with limited capabilities.

Contribution

It proposes a novel, adaptive trajectory planning approach that reduces optimization complexity and ensures safe, precise landing for micro aerial robots.

Findings

Trajectory generated within 20ms

Replanning achieved in 2ms with warm start

Effective on micro aerial robots with limited thrust

Abstract

This paper presents a novel trajectory planning method for aerial perching. Compared with the existing work, the terminal states and the trajectory durations can be adjusted adaptively, instead of being determined in advance. Furthermore, our planner is able to minimize the tangential relative speed on the premise of safety and dynamic feasibility. This feature is especially notable on micro aerial robots with low maneuverability or scenarios where the space is not enough. Moreover, we design a flexible transformation strategy to eliminate terminal constraints along with reducing optimization variables. Besides, we take precise SE(3) motion planning into account to ensure that the drone would not touch the landing platform until the last moment. The proposed method is validated onboard by a palm-sized micro aerial robot with quite limited thrust and moment (thrust-to-weight ratio 1.7) perching on a mobile inclined surface. Sufficient experimental results show that our planner generates an optimal trajectory within 20ms, and replans with warm start in 2ms.