Wind field estimation for autonomous dynamic soaring

Abstract

A method for distributed parameter estimation of a previously unknown wind field is described. The application is dynamic soaring for small unmanned air vehicles, which severely constrains available computing while simultaneously requiring updates that are fast compared with a typical dynamic soaring cycle. A polynomial parameterization of the wind field is used, allowing implementation of a linear Kalman filter for parameter estimation. Results of Monte Carlo simulations show the effectiveness of the approach. In addition, in-flight measurements of wind speeds are compared with data obtained from video tracking of balloon launches to assess the accuracy of wind field estimates obtained using commercial autopilot modules.