Path tracking control of solar-powered UAV based on energy management strategy

To coordinate the conflict between the high-altitude task and long-term energy efficiency of high-altitude long endurance solar UAV, it is one of the core issues of UAV control. A strategy combining the energy management with the route tracking is presented. Firstly, based on the three-dimensional particle motion model, energy storage battery model and solar energy acquisition model for the solar UAV, according to the aerodynamic parameters of the solar UAV and the typical horizontal flight, climb, descent and other motion processes of the solar UAV, the energy management strategy of the solar UAV is designed, and the allocation mechanism and optimal flight parameters of the energy acquisition, storage and consumption of the solar UAV in different flight stages are determined. The surplus solar energy is stored by using the gravitational potential energy, and then the energy management based on height adjustment is carried out to realize the longitudinal tracking control of the solar UAV under different lighting and energy conditions. Then based on the task requirements of the lateral movement of the solar UAV, a track tracking control method based on the feedback linearization method is established by decoupling the particle dynamics equation of the solar UAV, and the track tracking control of the solar UAV in the lateral direction is realized. Finally, a simulation throughout 24 hours is implemented and illustrated the effectiveness of the energy management strategy and route tracking control law.