Modeling and Control of a Quadrotor with Dynamic Inertia

Abstract

As the support and technology for unmanned vehicles has increased, so have the possible applications for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). From military intelligence gathering missions, to civilian search and rescue missions, the demand for highly capable UAVs is high. Drawing inspiration from biological examples such as the hawkmoth, this research investigates the use of dynamic inertia as a control mechanism for small quadrotor helicopters. Using Lagrangian mechanics, a nonlinear 3D model and a nonlinear 2D model are developed for a quadrotor with dynamic inertia modeled as an actuated pendulum mounted beneath the vehicle. Designing a linear quadratic controller for a linearization of the system about the hovering flight condition and applying this controller to the nonlinear model results in a stabilizing dynamic inertia controller capable of adequate trajectory tracking for a simple desired trajectory. Additional simulations also show that the linear controller has favorable robustness properties to compensate for modeling errors and nonlinearities.