Switching model predictive attitude control for a quadrotor helicopter subject to atmospheric disturbances

• Published in: Control engineering practice Vol. 19; no. 10; pp. 1195 - 1207
• Main Authors: Alexis, Kostas, Nikolakopoulos, George, Tzes, Anthony
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Atmospheric disturbances; Atmospherics; Computation; Computer science; control theory; systems; Control Engineering; Control theory. Systems; Disturbances; Dynamics; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Helicopters; Mathematical models; Model predictive control; Modelling and identification; Optimal control; Physics; Reglerteknik; Solid dynamics (ballistics, collision, multibody system, stabilization...); Solid mechanics; Switching; Switching control; Tracking; Unmanned quadrotor helicopter; Atmospheric disturbances; Model predictive control; Unmanned quadrotor helicopter; Switching control; Multimodel control; Systeme affine in control; Wind; Helicopter; Attitude control; Attitude; Solid dynamic; Rotation speed; Experimental study; Unmanned aerial vehicle; Atmospheric turbulence; System identification; Aircraft; Piecewise linearization
• ISSN: 0967-0661; 1873-6939; 1873-6939
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conengprac.2011.06.010

In this article a switching model predictive attitude controller for an unmanned quadrotor helicopter subject to atmospheric disturbances is presented. The proposed control scheme is computed based on a piecewise affine (PWA) model of the quadrotor's attitude dynamics, where the effects of the atmospheric turbulence are taken into consideration as additive disturbances. The switchings among the PWA models are ruled by the rate of the rotation angles and for each PWA system a corresponding model predictive controller is computed. The suggested algorithm is verified in experimental studies in the execution of sudden maneuvers subject to forcible wind disturbances. The quadrotor rejects the induced wind disturbances while performing accurate attitude tracking. ► Switching model predictive attitude control for a quadrotor subject to wind gusts. ► PWA modeling of the quadrotor, including state and input constraints. ► Experimental Evaluation of the proposed scheme under the presence of forcible wind gusts.