Modeling and simulation of a quadcopter with altitude and attitude control

Abstract

In the present work, flight of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is analyzed and controlled.
A specific UAV called quadcopter is considered for modeling and control. A quadcopter is
an under actuated system with four inputs for its motion in 3-dimensional space. It has capability of
vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) like helicopter in limited space. Model-based control of quadcopter
is necessary to obtain its desired motion. Therefore, in this paper, mathematical model of the
quadcopter is derived considering its kinematics and dynamics. The developed model is used to propose
control strategy for attitude (roll, pitch, and yaw) and altitude (height) control of the quadcopter.
Two classical control strategies, namely PD and PID controllers are developed and compared through
simulation.