Related papers: Control Allocation for Hybrid Coulomb Spacecraft F…

In logistic applications that require the pickup and delivery of items, route optimization problems can be modeled as precedence constrained traveling salesperson problems. The combinatorial nature of this problem restricts the application…

Stochastic Model Predictive Control has proved to be an efficient method to plan trajectories in uncertain environments, e.g., for autonomous vehicles. Chance constraints ensure that the probability of collision is bounded by a predefined…

This paper presents a first contribution to the design of a small aerial robot for inhabited microgravity environments, such as orbiting space stations. In particular, we target a fleet of robots for collaborative tasks with humans, such as…

This paper presents a general framework for solving the control allocation problem (CAP) in thrust-vector controlled rigid-bodies with an arbitrary number of thrusters. Two novel solutions are proposed: a closed-form, Lipschitz continuous…

This paper presents a computationally efficient optimization algorithm for solving nonconvex optimal control problems that involve discrete logic constraints. Traditional solution methods for these constraints require binary variables and…

Truck platooning is a promising transportation mode in which several trucks drive together and thus save fuel consumption by suffering less air resistance. In this paper, we consider a truck platooning system for which we jointly optimize…

Retractions maps are used to define a discretization of the tangent bundle of the configuration manifold as two copies of the configuration manifold where the dynamics take place. Such discretization maps can be conveniently lifted to the…

This paper studies the formation mission design problem for commercial aircraft in the presence of uncertainties. Specifically, it considers uncertainties in the departure times of the aircraft and in the fuel burn savings for the trailing…

This paper addresses an optimal control problem for a robot that has to find and collect a finite number of objects and move them to a depot in minimum time. The robot has fourth-order dynamics that change instantaneously at any pick-up or…

This paper introduces a new approach to solving the thrust allocation problem using the maneuvering problem in the maritime domain for fully actuated vessels. The method uses a control Lyapunov function to create a nonlinear reference…

This paper presents a novel Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) scheme for underwater robotic vehicles operating in a constrained workspace including static obstacles. The purpose of the controller is to guide the vehicle towards…

Reliance on external localization infrastructure and centralized coordination are main limiting factors for formation flying of vehicles in large numbers and in unprepared environments. While solutions using onboard localization address the…

We consider the fuel-optimal coordination of trucks into platoons. Truck platooning is a promising technology that enables trucks to save significant amounts of fuel by driving close together and thus reducing air drag. We study how…

Spacecraft operations are influenced by uncertainties such as dynamics modeling, navigation, and maneuver execution errors. Although mission design has traditionally incorporated heuristic safety margins to mitigate the effect of…

Low-thrust engines for interplanetary spacecraft transfers allow cost-effective space missions with flexible launch and arrival dates. To find fuel-optimal trajectories, an optimal control problem is to be solved. Pontryagin's Maximum…

The joint optimization of physical parameters and controllers in robotic systems is challenging. This is due to the difficulties of predicting the effect that changes in physical parameters have on final performances. At the same time,…

The problem of maximizing the probability of two trucks being coordinated to merge into a platoon on a highway is considered. Truck platooning is a promising technology that allows heavy vehicles to save fuel by driving with small…

This paper details an approach to linearise differentiable but non-convex collision avoidance constraints tailored to convex shapes. It revisits introducing differential collision avoidance constraints for convex objects into an optimal…

Controlling large-scale particle or robot systems is challenging because of their high dimensionality. We use a centralized stochastic approach that allows for optimal control at the cost of a central element instead of a decentralized…

New-generation space missions require satellites to carry substantial amounts of liquid propellant, making it essential to analyse the coupled control-structure-propellant dynamics in detail. While Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) offers…