A new hybrid approach for the visual servoing of VTOL UAVs from unknown geometries

This paper presents a new solution for the visual servoing of the translational kinematics of a Vertical Takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle. While previous works mainly focused on the servoing from known objects, the present paper deals with the servoing from objects of unknown geometries. The proposed solution is a hybrid controller that combines the global stability of Position Based (PBVS) schemes with the robustness of Image Based (IBVS) approaches. This is achieved using a switching strategy, which favours the advantageous approach based on the average servoing error. Simulation results, based on a full nonlinear model of a Quadrotor UAV, are provided to validate the proposed solution.