$\mathcal{L}_1$ Adaptive Augmentation for Geometric Tracking Control of Quadrotors

TL;DR

This paper presents an $$ adaptive control augmentation for geometric tracking of quadrotors, significantly reducing trajectory errors under uncertainties without assuming parametric models.

Contribution

It introduces an $$ adaptive augmentation that handles nonlinear uncertainties in quadrotor dynamics without parametric assumptions, enhancing geometric control.

Findings

Trajectory tracking errors reduced by five times on average.

Effective under various uncertainties and disturbances.

Applicable to both rotational and translational dynamics.

Abstract

This paper introduces an $\mathcal{L}_1$ adaptive control augmentation for geometric tracking control of quadrotors. In the proposed design, the $\mathcal{L}_1$ augmentation handles nonlinear (time- and state-dependent) uncertainties in the quadrotor dynamics without assuming or enforcing parametric structures, while the baseline geometric controller achieves stabilization of the known nonlinear model of the system dynamics. The $\mathcal{L}_1$ augmentation applies to both the rotational and the translational dynamics. Experimental results demonstrate that the augmented geometric controller shows consistent and (on average five times) smaller trajectory tracking errors compared with the geometric controller alone when tested for different trajectories and under various types of uncertainties/disturbances.