2-step integral backstepping control of the two-rotor aero-dynamical system (TRAS)

Abstract

This work proposes a simplified nonlinear backstepping control method for fast trajectory
tracking of a 2-DOF laboratory helicopter called the Two Rotor Aero-dynamical System
(TRAS). The relative degree 3 system is decomposed into the yaw subsystem (YS) and the
pitch subsystem (PS) and an integral backstepping controller (IBC) is designed for each
subsystem with the coupling effects considered as uncertainties. The control design considers
the system as having relative degree 2, resulting in a much less complex 2-step backstepping
control law requiring partial state feedback. Real time experiments show good tracking ability
of the proposed method to different input waveforms within a wide operating range.

Keywords: integral; backstepping; MIMO; nonlinear.