Dynamics Modeling and Trajectory Tracking Control of a Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract

Nowadays, the quadrotor is becoming a popular platform in the academic field and the commercial area. Many prototypes have been developed for different applications. In this paper, we present the design and development of a quadrotor system with the function of aerial surveillance for trajectory tracking. Kinematics and dynamics models of the quadrotor are given by Newton–Euler method. A nonlinear controller based on trajectory linearization control approach is designed to stabilize the quadrotor. This controller is divided into two parts as the guidance controller and the attitude controller, which control the translational motion and rotational motion, respectively. A quadrotor prototype is developed to implement the controller. A control strategy is provided for the autonomous flight with procedures of mission planning, trajectory generation, control, and hardware. Simulation tests are used to validate the robustness and the performance of the controller. Several flight experiments have been implemented outdoors. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed controller performs well in trajectory tracking mission, and the appointed functions of this quadrotor system also work well.