An ascent guidance algorithm for the energy management of solid rockets

Efficient energy management for the solid rocket is very important to exhaust excess energy and to meet the various terminal constraints. Based on the online planning of the velocity capability curve, a Double-arcs Energy Management (DAEM) guidance algorithm is proposed in this paper. In the DAEM, the velocity capability curve is designed with two tangential arcs. By using the elegant geometric characteristic of the arcs, the closed-loop guidance problem is transformed as a problem of solving a system of nonlinear equations about the parameters (radius and center position) of the two arcs, and the nonlinear equations can be solved in real time. The main advantages of this algorithm are that the height increment constraint, which is difficult to be satisfied in traditional energy management methods, can be satisfied theoretically, and the convergence of the solution of the DAEM is quadratic. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed DAEM algorithm are demonstrated by simulations and comparisons with other energy management algorithms.