Quaternion based attitude control of a maneuvering fixed wing UAV

Abstract

This paper presents attitude control using the unit quaternion. Specifically, the orientation of a maneuvering fixed wing U A V is investigated through set point tracking. Two formulations are explored; the first, through quaternion error dynamics and the second, through quaternion logarithm. Both methods apply appropriate Lyapunov functions for the design and analysis of the closed stability of the control laws. The error dynamics are deduced from composite rotations between different frames of the UA V. Through the error dynamics, the orientation of the UAV's wind frame is aligned to a desired orientation. Using this procedure, the desired equilibrium points of the closed system are guaranteed to converge and are asymptotically stable. The formulation and implementation of these two methods is simple and intuitive, and through simulations, their successful use and effectiveness is shown.