Fixed-time trajectory tracking control of a quadrotor UAV under time-varying wind disturbances: theory and experimental validation

Abstract

Abstract This paper adopts a fixed-time method to study the trajectory tracking issue of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under time-varying wind disturbances. Firstly, in order to address the impact of time-varying wind disturbances on UAV, a fixed-time disturbance observer is constructed to accurately estimate wind disturbances. Secondly, to improve control accuracy and convergence rate, a robust fixed-time controller is designed for the position and attitude system by combining the sliding mode control theory with fixed-time techniques. Furthermore, it is rigorously analyzed that the tracking error of the observer and controller can converge to zero via Lyapunov criterion, and the convergence time is independent of the initial state. Finally, the effectiveness and robustness of the designed control strategy are verified by numerical simulations and actual flight experiments, providing an effective connection between control theory and practical applications.