Tariq, Talha (McGill University), Nahon, Meyer (McGill University)

Constrained Control Allocation Approaches in Trajectory Control of a Quadrotor Under Actuator Saturation

Scheduled for presentation during the Regular Session "Control Architectures I" (WeA4), Wednesday, September 2, 2020, 10:20−10:40, Naousa

2020 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), September 1-4, 2020 (Postponed from June 9-12, 2020), Athens, Greece

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on May 8, 2024

Abstract

Quadrotors are highly maneuverable vehicles that can be used to perform extremely aggressive maneuvers. Commanding a quadrotor to perform a maneuver that is beyond the physical capabilities of its actuators leads to actuator saturation. A prolonged state of saturated actuators can cause the vehicle to behave unpredictably. This work investigates the use of constrained control allocation methods in a cascaded control structure to mitigate the adverse effects of actuator saturation. More specifically, a weighted least squares approach is used in the position controller and mixer to prioritize certain control efforts while considering constraints on the actuators and, optionally, vehicle attitude. Additionally, a yaw-decoupled attitude controller is adopted to complement the control allocation method employed in the mixer. The proposed strategy offers a more comprehensive approach to addressing actuator saturation, and was found to enhance the stability and tracking performance of the vehicle when compared to conventional approaches in simulation.