Minimum time control of helicopter UAVs using computational dynamic optimization

This paper focuses on the problem of minimum time trajectory planning for helicopter UAVs. It is formulated as a nonlinear optimal control subject to the dynamics and limitations of helicopter UAVs. The dynamical system is defined by a set of fifteen states nonlinear differential equations developed for HeLion, a UAV helicopter constructed in National University of Singapore (NUS). The problem is then solved numerically using pseudospectral method for dynamic optimization. The results show that minimum time trajectories are highly nonlinear that require complicated maneuvering.