Nonlinear Control for Trajectory Tracking of a Nonholonomic RC-Hovercraft with Discrete Inputs

Abstract

This work studies the problem of trajectory tracking for an underactuated RC-hovercraft, the control of which must be done by means of discrete inputs. Thus, the aim is to control a vehicle with very simple propellers that produce only a discrete set of control commands, and with minimal information about the dynamics of the actuators. The control problem is approached as a cascade control problem, where the outer loop stabilizes the position error, and the inner loop stabilizes the orientation of the vehicle. Stability of the controller is theoretically demonstrated and the robustness of the control law against disturbances and noise is established. Simulation examples and experiments on a real setup validate the control law showing the real system to be robust against disturbances, noise, and outdated dynamics.