Title: Twisting control algorithm for the yaw and pitch tracking of a twin rotor UAV

Authors: Seyed Mehdi Rakhtala; Mostafa Ahmadi

Addresses: Department of Electrical Engineering, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran ' Department of Electrical Engineering, Islamic Azad University of Aliabad Katul, Ali Abad Katul, Iran

Abstract: In this paper, second order sliding mode controller is used to compensate the pitch and yaw angles of multivariable (MIMO) twin rotor system. Twin rotor has six state variables including yaw and pitch angles, yaw and pitch angular velocities, and armature currents. Considering the physical structure of twin rotor, the controller aims to track the mentioned angles and stabilise their angular velocities. Two sliding surfaces are defined as the sum of tracking error of yaw and pitch angles and their integrals. The controller performance is studied in the light of tracking accuracy and steady-state error, transient behaviour and response fluctuations level, consistency. The closed-loop system performance will also be studied in the light of disturbance effect rejection, presence of uncertainty in the model, and presence of estimated practical noise. The simulation is presented for first and second order sliding mode controllers and their advantages and disadvantages will be investigated.

Keywords: twin rotor UAVs; SMC; sliding mode control; uncertainty; practical noise; twisting control; yaw and pitch tracking; yaw angles; pitch angles; MIMO; helicopters; robust control; helicopter rotors; unmanned aerial vehicles; controller design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAAC.2017.083296

International Journal of Automation and Control, 2017 Vol.11 No.2, pp.143 - 163

Received: 14 Oct 2015
Accepted: 07 May 2016
Published online: 23 Mar 2017 *

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