Sliding Mode Control for UAV Trajectory Tracking, Focus on Virtual Learning Environments.

Abstract

The present work presents a cascade control scheme, in the initial stage, there is a kinematic controller based on the sliding mode technique for the trajectory tracking of a UAV. Secondly, a dynamic controller is cascaded, this controller allows to compensate the perturbation and velocity errors of the robot. For this purpose, the simplified dynamic model of the UAV is used. For testing purposes, a virtual reality simulator is presented to test the proposed control scheme at laboratory level. The virtual reality environment will allow evaluating the UAV performance as much as possible. The virtual reality environment has the digitized physical robot, with its dynamic model and all the movement characteristics. The controller is simulated and then experimental tests are performe with the physical UAV in a partially structured environment and with wind disturbances at the time of the experiment, an RMSE = 0.32 [m] is obtained for the UAV position.