Adaptive robust constraint-following control for morphing quadrotor UAV with uncertainty: A segmented modeling approach

Abstract

During morphing, changes in a quadrotor UAV’s center of gravity and inertia contribute to unstable flight. Various uncertainties also impact its performance. In modeling, considering inertia and length variations due to morphing increases complexity. In control, detailed knowledge of uncertainties, such as parameter variability, is often needed. We propose a segmented modeling approach to obtain the quadrotor UAV model under morphing condition, along with an adaptive robust control to handle uncertainties within the system. The quadrotor UAV is innovatively segmented into three subsystems. Using the Udwadia–Kalaba (U–K) equation’s cascading and clustering features, we transform desired trajectories into constraints and integrate them with structural morphing constraints. This provides a direct analytical solution for constraint forces, which is immediately applicable to subsequent control design. This control consists of a nominal control part and an adaptive robust control part. Additionally, we only require that the uncertainty is bounded. The designed adaptation law is leaky, and adaptive parameters are adjusted based on the system’s performance to compensate for uncertainties within the system. The efficacy of the proposed modeling and control approaches is validated through simulation results.