A 4D trajectory follower based on the ’Carrot chasing’ algorithm for UAS within the U-space context

This paper is focused on the trajectory following problem for unmanned aerial systems in the context of the U-space and the 4D trajectory based operations (4D-TBO). A trajectory follower implementation for UASs, based on the carrot chasing algorithm, is presented with the twofold objective of minimizing the mean normal distance to the user-defined path and the mean difference with respect to the defined arrival times through the whole flight. The paper presents simulated and real flights carried out under the ROS (Robotic Operating System) framework that allow us to compare and analyze the behavior of the proposed solution for different policies.