Multi-timescale nonlinear robust control for a miniature helicopter

This paper proposes a new nonlinear control approach which is applied to a miniature aerobatic helicopter through a multi-timescale structure. To deal with inherent unstable internal dynamics, the translational, rotational, and flapping dynamics of the helicopter are organized into a three-timescale nonlinear model. The concepts of dynamic inversion and sliding manifold are combined together. Part of the uncertainties is explicitly taken into account in the nonlinear robust control design, and Monte Carlo simulations are used for validations under other sensor noises and model uncertainties.