Small scale rotorcraft UAS flight control using MPC

The increasing computational power of modern calculators and the development of faster optimization algorithms makes the model predictive approach an attractive option also for fast dynamic systems such as small-scale UAV helicopters. The ability of these algorithms to deal with constraints can be effectively used in flight control systems to take into account actuators limitations and flight envelope constraints or to introduce collision avoidance capabilities. This paper presents the application of the MPC to control the speed and heading of an autonomous helicopter. Several simulations will be presented showing the ability of the system to perform aggressive maneuvers and stabilize the system even in presence of sustained disturbances and model mismatches.