Attitude stabilization of a quadrotor aircraft

Abstract

The quadrotor aircraft has seen a growing interest in the research community over the past few years, with a focus on modeling and control however. Early rotating wing aircraft pioneers designed similar four-rotor aircraft with varied success over a number of years. With the introduction of new lightweight sensors for measuring the attitude and angular velocity of a rigid body, model sized versions of traditional helicopters with autonomous capabilities have emerged, with the advantage of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) over fixed wing aircraft. The quadrotor aircraft, with its symmetrical design, has a potential advantage with respect to the traditional helicopter in terms of maneuverability and mechanical simplicity. In fact, autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) have gained popularity for their numerous potential applications where human interaction is difficult or hazardous. Attitude stabilization, which could be considered the most important component for flight control, is essential for autonomous or even pilotable aircraft such as the quadrotor, as their designs are inherently unstable. As the literature suggests, a number of control algorithms have been proposed for the attitude control of a rigid body. In this thesis, a control strategy for the attitude stabilization of the quadrotor aircraft as well as some simulation and experimental results are presented.