Sliding mode stabilization of quad tilt-wing UAV considering nonlinear model of the vehicle and uncertainties

In this paper, a multi-input/multi-output sliding controller is proposed and analyzed for a quad tilt-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (QTW-UAV). The vehicle is equipped to do take-off and landing in vertical flight mode and is capable of flight over long distances in horizontal flight mode. The full dynamic model of the vehicle is originated from the Newton-Euler formulation. For developing the controller, a set of integral type sliding surfaces is selected and it is necessary to mention that in this approach, there isn't any linearization during controller design. Simulation has been conducted for a nonlinear, multivariable model that includes uncertain parameters and in the presence of pitch angle measurement noise and pitch moment disturbance. For verification, the proposed controller is compared with linear based controller design simulation. Results exhibit that the proposed controller is robust in the face of uncertainties, noise and disturbance and meets performance demands with control inputs of low amplitude.