Mixed-integer nonlinear programming formulation of a UAV path optimization problem

Shankarachary Ragi, Hans Mittelmann

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) formulation of a UAV path optimization problem, and attempt to find the global optimum solution. As objective functions in UAV path optimization problems tend to be non-convex, traditional optimization solvers (typically local solvers) are prone to local optima, which lead to severely sub-optimal controls. For the purpose of this study, we choose a target tracking application, where the goal is to optimize the kinematic controls of UAVs while maximizing the target tracking performance. First, we compare the performance of two traditional solvers numerically - MATLAB's fmincon and knitro. Second, we formulate this UAV path optimization problem as a mixed-integer nonlinear program (MINLP). As this MINLP tends to be computationally expensive, we present two pruning methods to make this MINLP tractable. We also present numerical results to demonstrate the performance of these methods.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2017 American Control Conference, ACC 2017
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages406-411
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781509059928
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 29 2017
Event2017 American Control Conference, ACC 2017 - Seattle, United States
Duration: May 24 2017May 26 2017

Publication series

NameProceedings of the American Control Conference
ISSN (Print)0743-1619

Other

Other2017 American Control Conference, ACC 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySeattle
Period5/24/175/26/17

Keywords

  • UAV path optimization
  • fmincon
  • knitro
  • mixed-integer nonlinear programming
  • target tracking

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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