Path following control of non-minimum phase VTOL aircraft via minimum distance projection method

In this paper, we study the problem of path following control for a non-minimum phase vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. To locate the point on the desired path that corresponds to the minimum distance between the aircraft´s position and the desired path, the projection method is used. Thus the proposed controller, consisting of feed-forward and state-feedback, not only forces the VTOL aircraft to asymptotically follow the desired path, but also keeps is unstable internal dynamics be bounded. Numerical simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the designed controller and the advantages of path following control over trajectory tracking control.