Geometric Stabilization of Quadrotor UAV with a Payload Connected by Flexible Cable

TL;DR

This paper develops a geometric nonlinear control method for stabilizing a quadrotor UAV carrying a load connected by a flexible cable modeled as a chain pendulum, with validation through simulations and experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel geometric control approach for complex 3D load stabilization with flexible cables, including stability analysis and experimental validation.

Findings

Successful stabilization of load and cable in simulations

Experimental validation on quadrotor UAVs

Lyapunov stability confirmed for the control method

Abstract

Equations of motion and dynamics of a quadrotor transporting a load with a flexible cable modeled as a chain pendulum is obtained using Euler-Lagrange equations by taking variations on manifolds. An arbitrary number of links considered in a series models the flexible cable connecting the load to the quadrotor while the whole system can undergo complex motion in 3D. Geometric nonlinear control asymptotically stabilizes the load and cable bellow the quadrotor. A linearization about the equilibrium and the corresponding lyapunov stability analysis is provided. We produced numerical simulations and validated our work experimentally using a quadrotor UAV.