Attitude Tracking of Near-ground Quadrotor: A Switched Linear Parameter Varying Approach

This paper is devoted to the attitude tracking problem of a near-ground quadrotor, where the aerodynamic force of propellers is impaired under the ground effect. An altitude-dependent dynamic model for attitude control of the quadrotor is formulated with consideration of actuator dynamics, upon which an attitude tracking system for near-ground quadrotor is obtained, instead of only considering the altitude control problem via altitude-dependent total lift force in the past studies. By selecting the altitude as a scheduling variable, the attitude tracking control system is further described via a switched linear parameter varying scheme, which has not been considered before. The stability condition and the H
∞
performance are obtained, then an altitude-dependent attitude controller is designed, where the effectiveness and advantages are demonstrated via simulations.