Adaptive Integral Backstepping Controller for an autonomous rotorcraft

in this paper, a new control approach is proposed using adaptive integral backstepping controller (AIBC) for controlling an autonomous rotorcraft. The recursive Lyapunov methodology in the backstepping technique will ensure the system stability, the integral action will increase the system robustness against disturbances and model uncertainties, and the adaptation law will estimate the modeling errors caused by assumptions in simplifying the complexity of the helicopter model. In addition, a Lyapunov-based velocity controller (LVC) is introduced to work side by side with the AIBC for hover and like-hover control. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms are capable of controlling the nonlinear helicopter model, while showing robustness against disturbances and model uncertainties.