Adaptive super-twisted sliding mode trajectory tracking control for quadrotor UAV with prescribed performance based on finite-time disturbance observer

Abstract

This study proposes a finite-time disturbed observer-based prescriptive performance adaptive super twisted sliding mode trajectory tracking control scheme for quadrotor UAV, which fully considers the dynamic characteristics of the position and attitude loops. Based on the super-twisted sliding mode algorithm, adaptive control, finite-time theory, and prescribed performance control, this scheme aims to stabilize the tracking of a quadrotor UAV along a prescribed trajectory. This is achieved even when faced with challenges such as modeling uncertainty, external uncertainty, and complex interference environments. Firstly, the complexity of controller design is simplified by transforming the trajectory tracking problem into a command tracking problem for the position and attitude system loops. Secondly, the coupling between the channels and the disturbance effects are unified as the aggregate disturbance. To address the issue of the adverse impact of aggregate disturbance on system performance, a new finite-time disturbance observer is developed to estimate the overall disturbance. The observer can effectively eliminate the negative effects of the aggregate disturbance without considering the disturbed boundary conditions during the design process. This enhances the observer's adaptability in practical applications. Then, the disturbance estimation information and the adaptive super-twisted algorithm are used to construct the adaptive super-twisted sliding mode controllers for the position and attitude loops, respectively. Additionally, a prescribed performance control is designed to predefined the time for the position loop to effectively suppress the deleterious effects of interference. This ensures that the position system can quickly meet the prescribed tracking requirements. Finally, the stability of the designed trajectory tracking control system is demonstrated using the Lyapunov theorem. Numerical simulation results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed controller.