Curvature-Constrained Vector Field for Path Following Guidance

This paper introduces a new vector field guidance method to generate continuously flyable paths for unmanned air vehicles. The central idea of the proposed vector field approach is imbibed in the commanded course angle, which is expressed as a nonlinear function of the position error with respect to the desired path. Considering straight line and circular paths, the asymptotic behavior of position error is shown to converge to zero. Analysis of path curvature establishes a significantly lower maximum value as compared to a popular existing method. Simulation results are presented considering a two-dimensional kinematic model of the vehicle. Overall, the method presents an easily computable path following solution with superior curvature characteristics.