Nonlinear robust control of a quadrotor helicopter with finite time convergence

In this paper, the control problem for a quadrotor helicopter which is subjected to modeling uncertainties and unknown external disturbance is investigated. A new nonlinear robust control strategy is proposed. First, a nonlinear complementary filter is developed to fuse the raw data from the onboard barometer and the accelerometer to decrease the negative effects from the noise associated with the low-cost onboard sensors Then the adaptive super-twisting methodology is combined with a backstepping method to formulate the nonlinear robust controller for the quadrotor’s attitude angles and the altitude position. Lyapunov based stability analysis shows that finite time convergence is ensured for the closed-loop operation of the quadrotor’s roll angle, pitch angle, row angle and the altitude position. Real-time flight experimental results, which are performed on a quadrotor flight testbed, are included to demonstrate the good control performance of the proposed control methodology.