TRAJECTORY-TRACKING CONTROL OF AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE BASED ON A PD CONTROLLER WITH FEEDFORWARD COMPENSATION

Liang Gaoyu, Wu Zhengjie

This paper addresses the problem of model uncertainties and external disturbances in trajectory-tracking control of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A control approach based on a proportional–derivative (PD) controller with feedforward compensation is proposed. First, a UAV controller is developed using this scheme, in which the overall control architecture is divided into an outer and an inner loop, both governed by PD laws. Then, numerical simulations and analysis are conducted. The results show that the PD controller with feedforward compensation shortens the transient response time, compensates both internal and external disturbances, enhances system stability, and meets the prescribed performance requirements.

Keywords:unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); feedforward compensation; PD controller; trajectory tracking