Construction of an atlas for global flatness-based parameterization and dynamic feedback linearization of quadcopter dynamics

We provide a global framework for flatness-based motion planning and dynamic feedback linearization of the quadcopter dynamics. It allows us to avoid the singularity difficulty that comes from the use of the yaw angle in flat output construction and dynamic feedback linearization. We construct eight differentially flat charts the union of which covers the entire configuration space of the quadcopter dynamics so that we can do global motion planning without encountering any singularity. In each differentially flat chart we transform the 12-dimensional quadcopter system via dynamic feedback to a 14-dimensional linear controllable system, which makes tracking controller design straightforward, so that we can switch from one controller to another to track a globally planned trajectory. The central theme of this paper is the global approach to the quadcopter motion planning and tracking.