Robust PID control of quadrotors with power reduction analysis

Area of Science:

• Robotics and Control Systems
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Quadrotor vehicles require robust control for stable flight and precise trajectory tracking.
• Existing controllers often face challenges with parametric uncertainties and aerodynamic disturbances.
• Energy efficiency is a critical consideration for autonomous aerial vehicles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel robust controller for quadrotor vehicles.
• To improve both regulation and trajectory tracking performance.
• To incorporate a power reduction methodology for enhanced energy efficiency.

Main Methods:

• A hybrid control scheme combining a proportional integral derivative (PID) controller for position and a model-based controller for orientation.
• Integration of a power reduction methodology featuring cuckoo search algorithm for controller-gain tuning.
• Inclusion of a minimum jerk trajectory design for smoother flight paths.
• Performance evaluation through numerical simulations under various disturbance conditions (free-disturbance, parametric uncertainty, aerodynamic effects).
• Comparative analysis against linear PID and nonlinear sliding mode controllers.

Main Results:

• The proposed robust controller demonstrated superior performance compared to existing linear PID and sliding mode controllers.
• The controller exhibited significant robustness against parametric uncertainties and aerodynamic disturbances.
• The power reduction methodology effectively decreased the energy demand of the control system.
• Successful trajectory tracking and regulation were achieved under challenging conditions.

Conclusions:

• The novel robust controller offers enhanced performance and stability for quadrotor vehicles.
• The integrated power reduction methodology contributes to energy efficiency without compromising control quality.
• The proposed scheme presents a promising advancement for autonomous quadrotor applications requiring high reliability and efficiency.