GPS-based Position Control and Waypoint Navigation System for Quadrocopters

Motivation for the investigation of position and waypoint controllers is the demand for Unattended Aerial Systems (UAS) capable of fulfilling e.g. surveillance tasks in contaminated or in inaccessible areas. Hence, this paper deals with the development of a 2D GPS-based position control system for 4 Rotor Helicopters able to keep positions above given destinations as well as to navigate between waypoints while minimizing trajectory errors. Additionally, the novel control system enables permanent full speed flight with reliable altitude keeping considering that the resulting lift is decreasing while changing pitch or roll angles for position control. In the following chapters the control procedure for position control and waypoint navigation is described. The dynamic behavior was simulated by means of Matlab/Simulink and results are shown. Further, the control strategies were implemented on a flight demonstrator for validation, experimental results are provided and a comparison is discussed.