Comparison of lateral controllers for following linear structures using computer vision

This paper presents a comparison of lateral controllers for vision-based control of a small autonomous aircraft following a road. Control strategies are designed to stabilize the aircraft lateral control using only the vision measurements and inertial sensors. Methods compared here include several aim-ahead controllers, sliding surface controllers, linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) regulators, and a receding horizon controller (RHC). Simulation results are given comparing the controllers under ideal conditions as well as with background wind, a zero-roll assumption in the vision system, and realistic quantization of the control output by the low-level flight control system