Trajectory tracking controller design for quadcopter under disturbances environment: using a hybrid approach
The development of a robust tracking controller for autonomous aerial vehicles to reach the desired point has become extremely important, especially when flying in the ground region. This paper proposes a hybrid controller (proportional fractional-order integral derivative sliding surface based on sliding mode control with backstepping (PFOIDSMCBS)) to control the quadcopter to flow the predefined trajectory. The proposed controller is designed to control the attitude, altitude, and angular motion with payload in the presence of external disturbances, wind, and ground effects. The performances of the proposed controller have been compared with the existing SMCBS controller. The simulation results show that the system satisfies the stability condition and is efficient in path tracking. As the vehicle approaches the ground, the simulation indicates a consistent linear increase in the total thrust generated by the rotors. In the landing, the proposed controller reduces settling time by 6.12% compared to SMCBS for the system without load. With a load, it reduces settling time by 5.17% compared to SMCBS. PFOIDSMCBS controller exhibits superior performance over SMCBS in terms of minimizing chattering effects and reducing control effort.