Thrust sensor based nonlinear motor control for quadcopters

Multicopter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have enormous potential for many promising applications, and improvements in controls for these flying robots could have a significant impact on their efficacy. This paper describes the novel design of a nonlinear motor controller for quadcopters that uniquely incorporates thrust feedback with an onboard force sensor installed on the motor mount. This paper explains the advanced control mathematics used to derive the controller and uses Lyapunov stability analysis to prove the design is globally asymptotically stable. In addition, this work includes a simulation in MATLAB/Simulink and laboratory experiments which illustrate the design's stable and precise thrust setpoint tracking.