Title

Multi-Timescale Nonlinear Robust Control for a Miniature Helicopter

Authors

Authors

Y. J. Xu

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

IEEE Trans. Aerosp. Electron. Syst.

Keywords

SLIDING-MODE CONTROL; FLIGHT; INVERSION; FEEDBACK; SYSTEMS; DESIGN; Engineering, Aerospace; Engineering, Electrical & Electronic; Telecommunications

Abstract

A new nonlinear control approach, which is applied to a miniature aerobatic helicopter through a multi-timescale structure, is proposed. Because of the highly nonlinear, unstable, and underactuated nature of a miniature helicopter, it is a challenge to design an autonomous flight control system that is capable of operating in the full flight envelope. To deal with unstable internal dynamics, the translational, rotational, and flapping dynamics of the helicopter (eleven degrees of freedom) are organized into a three-timescale, nonlinear model. The concepts of dynamic inversion and sliding manifold are combined together such that 1) the controller proposed is robust with respect to functional and parametric uncertainties, and 2) the settling time in faster modes is guaranteed to be less than the fixed step size of slower modes. A time-varying feedback gain, derived according to global stability and sliding manifold variations, is proved to be uniquely solvable based on the Perron-Frobenius Theorem. Partial uncertainties are explicitly taken into account in the nonlinear robust control design, and Monte Carlo simulations are used for validations under other sensor noises, model uncertainties, and a Federal Aviation Administration suggested gust condition.

Journal Title

Ieee Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems

Volume

46

Issue/Number

2

Publication Date

1-1-2010

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

656

Last Page

671

WOS Identifier

WOS:000277499800012

ISSN

0018-9251

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