3-D Flight Path Tracking Control for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Under Wind Environments

Abstract

This paper provides a new design framework for 3D flight path tracking control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under wind environments. The new design framework simultaneously achieves the following three points: (i) 3D path tracking error system representation using the Serret-Frenet frame under wind environments, (ii) guaranteed cost control, (iii) simultaneous stabilization by a single controller for different 3D paths with a common interval parameter setting in the Serret-Frenet frame. To realize the three points, a path tracking error system based on the 3D kinematic model of UAVs under wind environments is constructed in the Serret-Frenet frame. The path tracking error system is exactly represented with the Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model in considered operation domains. As an advantage of the T-S fuzzy model construction, this paper considers a guaranteed cost controller design that minimizes the upper bound of a given performance function. The guaranteed cost controller design problem is cast in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Thus, the designed controller guarantees not only the path stabilization but also the guaranteed cost control even in path tracking control for a given desired 3D flight path under wind environments. In addition, a simultaneous stabilization problem is also considered in terms of finding a common solution in a set of the LMIs. The simulation results show the utility of the proposed 3D flight path tracking control under wind environments.