Robust attitude tracking control for a variable‐pitch quadrotor with uncertainties

Abstract

SummaryVariable‐pitch quadrotors have demonstrated their capability to enhance control performance and overcome limitations compared to conventional fixed‐pitch quadrotors, while still facing challenges such as nonlinearity, couplings, uncertainties and so on. This article aims to address the robust attitude control problem of variable‐pitch quadrotors afflicted with parametric uncertainties and unpredictable external disturbances. Initially, a practical actuator allocation strategy for the motor‐propeller is proposed, followed by the development of a nonlinear robust attitude tracking controller capable of addressing all uncertainties. The effectiveness of the proposed controller in ensuring exponential stability of the closed‐loop system, thereby driving the attitude tracking error to a small range within a finite time, has been substantiated. To evaluate the control performance, a hardware‐in‐the‐loop testbed is constructed to conduct real‐time experiments. The experimental results from attitude control case, comparative case, and position control case demonstrate that the designed motor‐propeller allocation method and robust controller are effective in achieving a fast response and excellent control performance.