Nonlinear Adaptive Control of a Twin Lift Helicopter System

The tracking control problem of a twin lift helicopter system in the presence of parametric uncertainty is considered in this paper. Based on a nonlinear model describing the dynamics of a twin lift helicopter configuration in the lateral/vertical plane, a controller is synthesized using an input-output feedback linearization technique in conjunction with an adaptation algorithm. The proposed control scheme does not require any knowledge of the bound of uncertainties present and drives the output tracking error to zero asymptotically. The performance of the controller is illustrated in a simulation of the nonlinear model of the twin lift system.