Reactive trajectory generation in an unknown environment

Abstract

Autonomous trajectory generation for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in unknown environments continues to be an important research area as UAVs become more prolific. In this paper, we develop a trajectory generation algorithm for a vehicle in an unknown environment with wind disturbances, that relies only on the vehicle's on-board distance sensors and communication with other vehicles within a finite region to generate a smooth, collision-free trajectory. The proposed trajectory generation algorithm can be used in conjunction with high-level planners and low-level motion controllers, as demonstrated. The algorithm provides guarantees that the trajectory does not violate the vehicle's thrust limitation, sensor constraints, or a user-defined clearance radius around other vehicles and obstacles. Simulation results of two quadrotors moving through an unknown building environment with obstacles demonstrates the trajectory generation performance.