Adapting parameters for flight control of a quadcopter using reference model and fuzzy logic

This article presents the modeling and control of an unmanned aerial vehicle (a Quadcopter). Its modeling will be described by using Newton Euler equations. In order to control the attitude and altitude of the Quadcopter, two approaches have been proposed for adjusting the parameters of a PID controller. Firstly, the PD controller gains are fixed in an optimal way by using reference model method. In the second approach these parameters are adapted online based on fuzzy logic. Matlab/Simulink has been used to test and compare the performance of the controllers obtained. This study showed that the reference model method and fuzzy techniques can properly control the system.