Design and experimental validation of a robust output feedback control for the coupled dynamics of a micro air vehicle

• Main Authors: Harikumar, Kandath., Dhall, Sidhant, Bhat, Seetharama
• Other Authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering; Coupled Dynamics; Flight Testing
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/143485
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper addresses the design and experimental validation of a linear robust static output feedback controller for a 150 mm span fixed wing micro air vehicle (MAV). Severe coupling between longitudinal and lateral dynamics of the MAV lead to the design of a multivariable controller for the combined dynamics. The control design problem is posed in the framework of static output feedback (SOF) due to the inexpensive computational requirements for implementation. The multiobjective control design problem including stability requirements, closed loop damping ratio requirements and H ∞ norm minimization is solved using the hybrid technique of linear matrix inequalities (LMI) and genetic algorithm (GA). The design is carried out in the discrete time domain, facilitating in direct implementation of the multivariable controller in the onboard autopilot hardware. The robustness of the resulting closed loop system under parametric uncertainties is evaluated using structured singular value analysis. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is demonstrated through outdoor flight trial of the micro air vehicle with a customized lightweight autopilot hardware.