Modeling and control of an interactive tilt-rotor MAV. A robust delay-based strategy

Abstract

This paper presents mathematical modeling and a delayed-based control scheme for a quadrotor configured with tilt-rotor capabilities. The proposed controller incorporates a nonlinear disturbance observer to enhance the aircraft’s operation against unknown disturbances. Integrating a tilting mechanism with a one-degree-of-freedom robotic arm improves upon the traditional quadrotor design, transforming it into an active flying drone capable of interacting with its surroundings. The tilting mechanism significantly extends the drone’s operational range, enabling it to access a wide working area. Furthermore, these enhancements empower the drone to undertake more complex tasks such as carrying payloads, grasping objects at high speeds, and utilizing sensors to detect cracks in pipelines, among other applications. In addition, we introduce a non-holonomic flight concept and derive its mathematical model in the restricted plane using the Euler–Lagrange formalism. Finally, we provide several numerical examples to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.