Nonlinear Control of a Novel Class of Tilt-Rotor Quadcopters Using Sliding Mode Method: Theory and Hardware Implementation

This paper proposes a sliding mode controller for a novel kind of quadcopter called tilt-rotor quadcopter. The controller is modeled in SIMULINK and implemented on a Pixhawk 2 flight controller board. First, this paper presents the dynamic model of the tilt-rotor quadcopter. Second, the proposed smart sliding mode controller for simulation studies is presented. Third, the hardware platform is discussed in detail with the controller implementation. Finally, numerical simulation results for the smart sliding mode controller for various scenarios (wind disturbances, faulty motors) are presented following which the preliminary hardware tuning results are presented. Simulation results of the tilt-rotor platform hovering at a position with a nonzero attitude are also shown. This paper also presents a discussion on the challenges faced transitioning from a simulation environment to hardware testing and plausible ideas to address the challenges. (C) 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.