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Experimental Validation of a Helicopter Autopilot Design using Model-Based PID Control

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Abstract

Autonomous helicopter flight provides a challenging control problem. In order to evaluate control designs, an experimental platform must be developed in order to conduct flight tests. However, the literature describing existing platforms focuses on the hardware details, while little information is given regarding software design and control algorithm implementation. This paper presents the design, implementation, and validation of an experimental helicopter platform with a primary focus on a software framework optimized for controller development. In order to validate the operation of this platform and provide a basis for comparison with more sophisticated nonlinear designs, a PID controller with feedforward gravity compensation is derived using the generally accepted small helicopter model and tested experimentally.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Nonlinear Controls Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 2V4

    Bryan Godbolt, Nikolaos I. Vitzilaios & Alan F. Lynch

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  1. Bryan Godbolt
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  2. Nikolaos I. Vitzilaios
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  3. Alan F. Lynch
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Correspondence to Nikolaos I. Vitzilaios.

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Godbolt, B., Vitzilaios, N.I. & Lynch, A.F. Experimental Validation of a Helicopter Autopilot Design using Model-Based PID Control. J Intell Robot Syst 70, 385–399 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-012-9720-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-012-9720-7

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