Nonlinear dynamic modeling and control of a small-scale helicopter

A test bench for experimental testing of the attitude control of a small-scale helicopter is constructed. A nonlinear model with 10 states is developed for this experimental setup. The unknown model parameters are estimated using the extended Kalman filter with flight test data of the helicopter operating on the test bench. In this work, it is proved that the nonlinear helicopter dynamic model may be globally feedback linearized using the dynamic feedback linearization technique. In order to satisfy multiple closed-loop performance specifications simultaneously, a controller is proposed by applying the Convex Integrated Design (CID) method to the feedback linearized model. Finally, the controller is tested in simulation demonstrating the closed-loop performance of the proposed controller.