course-details-portlet

TK8109

Advanced Guidance, Navigation and Control Systems

Choose study year
Credits 7.5
Level Doctoral degree level
Course start Autumn 2025
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction English
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement School exam

About

About the course

Course content

The course is given every second year, next time in Fall 2025.

Guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems for ships, aircraft, spacecraft, and uncrewed vehicles, including AUV, UAV, and USV systems. The course is given as three modules:

  1. Guidance systems and path planning. Determination of the desired path of travel from the vehicle's current location to a designated target, as well as desired changes in velocity, rotation, and acceleration for following that path. Introduction to motion planning based on computational geometry (CG) and optimal control (OC). Analysis of path properties relevant to robotic applications. Conventional path-following algorithms (Dubins paths, clothoids, Pythagorean Hodographs, Fermat’s spirals, and splines) are followed by state-of-the-art hybrid solutions, which combine CG and OC. Path planning, guidance, and control in a cascaded-systems perspective. A brief overview of line-of-sight (LOS) guidance laws and their variations. Alternative guidance and control architectures combine reinforcement learning with optimal control and deep reinforcement learning—incorporating collision avoidance algorithms in the architectures mentioned above.
  2. Navigation systems. Methods for determination of the vehicle's position, velocity, and attitude with an emphasis on advanced inertial navigation systems (INS). Mathematical models for inertial sensor error characteristics include noise, bias, scale factor, cross-coupling errors, vibration-induced inertial measurement errors, coming, and sculling. Inertial sensor outputs. Sampling strategies. Anti-sculling and anti-coning algorithms. Position and attitude representations. Strapdown equations and accurate numerical implementations. INS aiding sensors and techniques. Advanced filters, observers, and estimators for integrated navigation systems.

Control systems. Advanced motion control systems for autonomous vehicles, marine craft, and aircraft. Moving mass control and control moment gyros (CMGs) using the principle of conservation of linear and angular momentum. Integral and adaptive gain super-twisting sliding mode control. Successive-loop closure and LOS path-following guidance systems. Extensions to path-tracking control systems. Compensation of drift in LOS path-following control systems using integral LOS (ILOS). Uniform semiglobal exponential stable adaptive LOS (ALOS) guidance laws for 3-D path following. Target-tracking models for state estimation. Kalman filter design for estimation of speed over ground (SOG), course over ground (COG), and course rate from position measurements. Design of weathervaning control systems taking advantage of the natural environmental forces, wind, waves, and ocean currents to control the vehicle's heading.

Learning outcome

KNOWLEDGE: In-depth knowledge of design and analysis of GNC systems. Focus is placed on path planning, guidance laws, and state estimators for navigation systems. This includes inertial navigation systems and aiding techniques. GNC architectures for watercraft, aircraft, and unmanned vehicles. Knowledge of inertial sensors and global navigation systems.

SKILLS: Be able to model, simulate, and implement GNC systems for unmanned underwater vehicles and aerial vehicles, ships, aircraft, and satellites. Understand how Kalman filters and nonlinear observers are used to estimate moving objects' position, velocity, and attitude.

GENERAL COMPETENCE: Skills in applying this knowledge and proficiency in new areas and completing advanced tasks and projects. Skills in communicating extensive independent work and mastering the technical terms of GNC systems. Ability to contribute to innovative thinking and innovation processes.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, study groups, and independent study. Mandatory assignments (pass/fail).

Compulsory assignments

  • Guidance systems
  • Control systems
  • Navigation systems

Further on evaluation

The final grade in the subject is given as pass/fail based on a multiple-choice school exam. If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form may be changed from written to oral. The assignments and final exam must all be passed to pass the course.

Required previous knowledge

TTK4135 Optimization and Control and TTK 4190 Guidance, Navigation, and Control of Marine Craft, Aircraft, and Drones or a similar background.

Course materials

Lecture notes, conference, and journal papers.

Subject areas

  • Engineering Cybernetics

Contact information

Course coordinator

Lecturers

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Engineering Cybernetics

Examination

Examination

Examination arrangement: School exam
Grade: Passed / Not Passed

Ordinary examination - Autumn 2025

School exam
Weighting 100/100 Examination aids Code D Duration 2 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room
The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.

Ordinary examination - Spring 2026

School exam
Weighting 100/100 Examination aids Code D Duration 2 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room
The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.