An Integral Sliding Mode Controller for a Vertical Take-Off and Landing System

This work proposes the design of an Integral Sliding Mode Controller (ISMC) to stabilize a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) System. The sliding surface is employed to drive the system towards equilibrium and thus, stability. The parameters of the sliding mode controller have been estimated by minimzing an objective function using an evolutionary algorithm, namely, Squirrel Search Algorithm (SSA). Simulations have been carried out for reference signal tracking and disturbance rejection. The performance of the proposed ISMC has been compared with that of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) and fractional order PID controllers. The obtained results are promising and confirm that the ISMC exhibits superior performance when compared to the other controllers.