Combined of vector field and linear quadratic Gaussian for the path following of a small unmanned helicopter

In this study, a composite fight control method for the path following of a small unmanned helicopter is proposed. The control system design adopts the hierarchical control architecture that is composed of an inner-loop, an outer-loop and a planning layer. The inner-loop controller design is based on the setpoint tracking linear quadratic Gaussian control technique which can not only stabilise the dynamics of the helicopter, but also track the reference control signals provided by the outer-loop controller well. The core part of the outer-loop controller design is based on the notion of vector field, which is used for generating the desired heading rate command. Lyapunov stability arguments are applied to demonstrate the asymptotic approximation to the desired path in the presence of wind disturbance. Experimental results are presented to verify the validity of the method.