Fixed-time trajectory following for quadrotors via output feedback

A fixed-time trajectory following problem for quadrotors via output feedback is concerned. Based on the inner–outer separation design philosophy, the under-actuated quadrotor is formulated as a hierarchical structure composed by position and attitude dynamics. With an emphasis on removing the demand on unmeasured velocity and eliminating the negative effect of disturbances, fixed-time extended state observers utilizing two kinds of polynomial feedback terms are proposed to simultaneously identify unavailable velocity states and unknown uncertainties with a fixed-time estimation capability. With these observation results, a velocity free fixed-time control protocol is synthesized to enable a satisfied trajectory regulation with a uniform convergence time independent of initial positions, such that a prescribed fixed-time stability and enhanced robustness can be obtained with chattering-free inputs. By virtue of bi-limit homogeneity properties, all error variables of the resultant quadrotor system are demonstrated to be fixed-time convergent. Eventually, the benefits of developed algorithm are illustrated via simulations •A fixed-time output feedback trajectory tracking control problem is firstly considered for quadrotors with uncertainties.•Fixed-time extended state observers utilizing two kinds of polynomial feedback terms are proposed.•By virtue of bi-limit homogeneity technique, the involved error signals are proved to be fixed-time stable.