Dynamic output feedback image-based visual servoing of rotorcraft UAVs

This paper presents an improved dynamic output feedback image-based visual servoing (IBVS) law for a quadrotor in comparison with our previous work (“Dynamic Visual Servoing of a Rotary-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Without Velocity Measurement,” in AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, Grapevine, Texas, January, 2017). The controller enables the quadrotor to regulate its position and yaw relative to a planar target consisting of multiple points. This new IBVS controller removes the integral term used to counter external disturbance, in which way the controller's structure is further simplified. Same as in our previous work, the controller requires a minimum set of sensors, i.e., an inertial measurement unit and a single downward facing camera. Also, this approach is adaptive to various unknown system parameters, such as thrust coefficient, mass of the vehicle, and bias errors in Euler angle measurement. The asymptotic stability of error dynamics is proven. Both simulation and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed controller.