Robust Control of Electric Tail Reduction System: Uncertainty and Performance Index

Abstract

The electric tail reduction system of the unmanned helicopter contains uncertainty. To solve this problem, a constraint-following approach was applied to design a novel robust control for uncertain mechanical systems. The dynamic model of the uncertain electric tail reduction system was established by combining the load of the electric tail rotor and the flight state of the helicopter. Based on the Udwadia–Kalaba theory, a robust constraint following the control method was proposed to deal with the uncertainty of the system. In addition, to balance the steady-state performance and control cost of the system, a control parameter optimization design method was proposed to minimize the performance index. Furthermore, the unique solution of the optimal parameter can be obtained. Compared with the LQR control method, the effectiveness of the optimization method of robust constraint following control was verified.