Tracking controllers for small UAVs with wind disturbances: Theory and flight results

This work outlines two approaches for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) performing surveillance with fixed cameras. Small UAVs present significant control challenges, due to relatively low-bandwidth actuation and significant disturbances due to wind. This work features implementations of a spatial sliding mode controller and a receding-horizon kinodynamic controller. The spatial sliding mode controller is designed to follow a desired aircraft path which places the camera-footprint on the desired locations, while the kinodynamic controller is designed to directly track a camera-footprint path. Since our objective is surveillance, we aim to compare the effectiveness of each controller in tracking a desired sensor path. Discussion of each controller is followed by simulation and flight test results.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: CDC
• Authors: Stephen Jackson, John Tisdale, Maryam Kamgarpour, Brandon Basso, J. Karl Hedrick
• Keywords: CDC 2008, Control Systems, Kinodynamic Controller, Mode Controller, Spatial Sliding Mode