He, ShaomingShin, HyosangTsourdos, AntoniosLee, Chang-Hun2020-02-062020-02-062019-11-28He S, Shin H-S, Tsourdos A, Lee C-H. (2020) Energy-optimal waypoint-following guidance considering autopilot dynamics. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Volume 56, Issue 4, August 2020, pp. 2701-27170018-9251https://doi.org/10.1109/TAES.2019.2954149https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/15104This paper addresses the problem of energy-optimal waypoint-following guidance for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with the consideration of a general autopilot dynamics model. The proposed guidance law is derived as a solution of a linear quadratic optimal control problem in conjunction with a linearized kinematics model. The algorithm developed integrates path planning and following into a single step and is able to be applied to a general waypoint-following mission. Theoretical analysis reveals that previously suggested optimal point-to-point guidance laws are special cases of the proposed approach. Nonlinear numerical simulations clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed formulations.enAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Unmanned aerial vehicleWaypoint followingEnergy optimalAutopilot lagArticle