We present an integrated model that is used to optimize the tracking paths of a solar-powered unmanned air vehicle (SUAV) with the mission of ground target tracking in terms of tracking success, energy utilization, and prevention of full discharge of the battery and show the effectiveness of the paths constructed using this model through numerical simulation. The motion of SUAV flying with the bank-to-turn control scheme at a constant altitude in windy conditions, the amount of energy that is produced from the photovoltaic panel of the SUAV, the amount of energy that is consumed by the SUAV, and the variation of discharge depth of the battery are modeled, and they are integrated into an optimization problem.
By solving this optimization problem using penalty function method, receding horizon control (RHC) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), control sequences and state sequences that give the optimal tracking path are determined. Through numerical simulation, the validity of the proposed integrated model and the effectiveness of the constructed tracking paths are analyzed. Analysis results show that the proposed method can be used for modeling and simulation for tracking path optimization of SUAVs tracking moving ground targets
The result was published in "Asian Journal of Control" under the title of "Modeling and numerical simulation for multi-objective optimization of tracking paths of solar-powered UAV with tracking moving ground target"(https://doi.org/10.1002/asjc.3724).
