Feasible Polynomial Trajectory Planning for Aerial Manipulation

A method is proposed to extend a feasible trajectory planning technique for thrust vectoring UAV, such that it can be applied to aerial manipulators. This method utilizes high-degree polynomials to calculate the system dynamics that would be necessary to perform a trajectory in a time-constrained manner. The use of this method provides a high quality trajectory that can be used in conjunction with an almost global exponential stable tracking controller. A two-step method is proposed to optimize flight time based on actuator constraints of the system, and allows for flight aggressiveness to be tuned based on a minimal set of parameters.