Constrained moving target following control and landing strategy for tiltrotor based on control barrier function

To address the challenges of moving target following (MTF) and autonomous landing control for a compound tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operating under position constraints and external disturbances, a control barrier function (CBF)-based constrained mobile path-tracking and autonomous landing control method is proposed. The approach employs CBF theory together with a fixed-time control Lyapunov function (FxT-CLF) to ensure both safety and robustness during mobile target tracking and landing operations. The methodology proceeds as follows: firstly, a unified nonlinear dynamic model of the compound tiltrotor UAV is established to represent multiple flight modes. Secondly, a robust safety-constrained control strategy combining FxT-CLF and CBF is formulated and integrated into a quadratic programming (QP) control framework. Thirdly, a multi-objective optimization control allocation (MOCA) scheme is introduced to enhance control efficiency during flight-mode transitions. Finally, for autonomous landing on a moving target, a multistage integrated guidance and approach strategy is developed. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves accurate, safe, and reliable path tracking and autonomous landing performance, while maintaining substantial safety margins under external disturbances. Moreover, the strategy relaxes strict requirements on the relative heading angle between the UAV and the ship during landing, thereby broadening its practical applicability.