Patent ID: 8473119
Filing Date: 2013-06-25
Classification: G05D

Abstract:
1. A system for optimizing guidance of a vehicle having a plurality of effectors that vary in effectiveness with vehicle speed relative to a fluid medium through which said vehicle can move, said system including a sensor for developing an error signal for vehicle position relative to a vehicle guidance command, an optimal effector blender means to dynamically determine relative effectiveness of said effectors and to allocate control signals between said effectors to achieve a desired attitude change most efficiently, and an optimal guidance blender to attribute said error signal proportionally between translation rate error and pointing error as a function of said vehicle speed and relative cost of use of respective ones of said plurality of effectors such that vehicle attitude during a change in position corresponding to said error signal for vehicle position is determined in accordance with said vehicle speed relative to said fluid medium and said change in position is accomplished using translation rate in proportion to thruster effectiveness at said vehicle speed.