A fuzzy flight controller combining linguistic and model-based fuzzy control

In this paper, we address the design of a fuzzy flight controller that achieves stable and robust "aggressive" maneuverability for an unmanned helicopter. The fuzzy flight controller proposed consists of a combination of a fuzzy gain scheduler and linguistic (Mamdani-type) controller. The fuzzy gain scheduler is used for stable and robust altitude, roll, pitch, and yaw control. The linguistic controller is used to compute the inputs to the fuzzy gain scheduler, i.e., desired values for roll, pitch, and yaw at given desired altitude and horizontal velocities. The flight controller is obtained and tested in simulation using a realistic nonlinear MIMO model of a real unmanned helicopter platform, the APID-MK3. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.