Design of Control System for Quadcopter

Abstract

The aim of the project is to achieve a stable flight for a quad-rotor based UAV. A commercial UAV with limited functions but capable of flight will be purchased and the controller will be designed for it instead of building the UAV from scratch in order to save time. This controller will be based on control algorithms for stable flight. The control models will be made using Simulink tool and then embedded coder tool will be used to get an optimized C code for AVR MCU. A quad-rotor UAV poses a complex and interesting control problem as all the maneuvers are dependent on the speed of 4 motors. The motors parameters mismatch and air disturbance are a main hurdle in achieving a stable flight. In this regard, whole Masters level projects are targeted at achieving the flight stability employing various control algorithms like PID and LQR controllers. In order to get UAV's orientation and direction, an Inertial Measurement Unit based on Gyroscope and Accelerometer will be used. Using Matlab tools for designing the control systems is a standard practice used widely in industry. Familiarization and use of such tools will be a huge asset in our knowledge. Achieving a stable flight will itself be a huge achievement. Application range from military surveillance to search and rescue situations.