Design of linear parameter varying trajectory tracking controllers for an unmanned air vehicle

This article presents a trajectory tracking controller design approach for an unmanned air vehicle using the linear parameter varying (LPV) methods. The longitudinal and lateral controllers are designed using an inner-outer loop structure with the inner loop LPV controller designed first using μ-synthesis. The inner loop is then approximated with a reference model and the outer loop is designed using loop-shaping techniques. Flight trajectory is expressed in terms of earth co-ordinates, which the outer loop controller converts into reference signals for the inner loop. Full-scale non-linear simulations are used to test the efficiency of the designed controller and of the proposed design approach.