Trajectory-Tracking Controller Design of Rotorcraft Using an Adaptive Incremental-Backstepping Approach

This paper treats a robust adaptive trajectory-tracking control design for a rotorcraft using a high-fidelity math model subject to model uncertainties. In order to control the nonlinear rotorcraft model which shows strong inter-axis coupling and high nonlinearity, incremental backstepping approach with state-dependent control effectiveness matrix is utilized. Since the incremental backstepping control suffers from performance degradation in the presence of control matrix uncertainties due to change of flight conditions, control system robustness is improved by combining the least squares parameter estimator to estimate time varying uncertainties contained in the control effectiveness matrix. Also, by selecting a suitable gain set by investigating the error dynamics, a uniform trajectory-tracking performance over operational flight envelope of the rotorcraft is ensured without resorting to the conventional gain scheduling method. To evaluate the proposed controller, comparative results between IBSC and Adaptive IBSC are provided in this paper with sequential maneuvers from the ADS-33E-PRF. The proposed method shows improved tracking performance under variations in control effective matrix in the flight simulation. Robust and stable parameter estimation is also guaranteed due to the implementation of the DF-RLS algorithm for the least squares estimator.

Modeling and design of an adaptive control for VSC-HVDC system under parameters uncertainties

The growing demand for electricity and the increasing integration of clean energies into the electrical grids requires the multiplication and reinforcement of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) projects throughout the world and demonstrates the interest in this electricity transmission technology. The transmitting system of the voltage source converter-high-voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) consists primarily of two converter stations that are connected by a dc cable. In this paper, a nonlinear control based on the backstepping approach is proposed to improve the dynamic performance of a VSC-HVDC transmission system, these transport systems are characterized by different complexities such as parametric uncertainties, coupled state variables, neglected dynamics, presents a very interesting research topic. Our contribution through adaptive control based on the backstepping approach allows regulating the direct current (DC) bus voltage and the active and reactive powers of the converter stations. Finally, the validity of the proposed control has been verified under various operating conditions by simulation in the MATLAB/Simulink environment.

Design and development of a backstepping controller autopilot for fixed-wing UAVs

Backstepping represents a promising control law for fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Its non-linearity and its adaptation capabilities guarantee adequate control performance over the whole flight envelope, even when the aircraft model is affected by parametric uncertainties. In the literature, several works apply backstepping controllers to various aspects of fixed-wing UAV flight. Unfortunately, many of them have not been implemented in a real-time controller, and only few attempt simultaneous longitudinal and lateral–directional aircraft control. In this paper, an existing backstepping approach able to control longitudinal and lateral–directional motions is adapted for the definition of a control strategy suitable for small UAV autopilots. Rapidly changing inner-loop variables are controlled with non-adaptive backstepping, while slower outer loop navigation variables are Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) controlled. The controller is evaluated through numerical simulations for two very diverse fixed-wing aircraft performing complex manoeuvres. The controller behaviour with model parametric uncertainties or in presence of noise is also tested. The performance results of a real-time implementation on a microcontroller are evaluated through hardware-in-the-loop simulation.