Neural Network based Path Planning for Fixed-Wing UAVs with Constraints on Terminal Roll Angle

This paper presents a neural network-based path planning method for fixed-wing UAVs under terminal roll angle constraints. The nonlinear optimal path planning problem is first formulated as an optimal control problem. The necessary conditions derived from Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle are then established to convert extremal trajectories as the solutions of a parameterized system. Additionally, a sufficient condition is proposed to guarantee that the obtained solution is at least locally optimal. By simply propagating the parameterized system, a training dataset comprising at least locally optimal trajectories can be constructed. A neural network is then trained to generate the nonlinear optimal control command in real time. Finally, numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed method robustly ensures the generation of at least local optimal trajectories in real time while satisfying the prescribed terminal roll angle constraint.