Robust Trajectory Tracking Control for Constrained Small Fixed-Wing Aerial Vehicles with Adaptive Prescribed Performance

Featured Application The low complexity of the proposed controller along with the adaptive performance characteristics and the robustness against external disturbances could lead to implementation as longitudinal motion autopilot in small fixed-wing UAVs. A novel approximation-free adaptive prescribed performance control scheme for the longitudinal motion tracking of input and state constrained small fixed-wing UAVs is designed in this work. The proposed controller employs the adaptive prescribed performance technique to impose output performance specifications in accordance with actuation limitations regarding the amplitude and the rate of the control signal. Furthermore, state constraints are introduced to ensure the proper operation of the closed-loop system. The adoption of PPC methodology results in a low complexity control algorithm with easy gain selection which facilitates its practical implementation. Finally, a comprehensive simulation study as well as comparative simulation paradigms on an Aerosonde model clarifies and verifies the superiority and the effectiveness of the proposed controller to control the longitudinal motion of UAVs in the presence of wind gusts.