• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.38 no.12
• /
• pp.1170-1176
• /
• 2010

This study addresses adaptive control of UAVs(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) pitch-axis maneuver. The MRAC(Model Referenced Adaptive Control) approach is employed to accommodate uncertainties which are introduced by feedback linearization of pitch attitude control by elevator input. The model uncertainty is handled by adaptation laws which update model parameters while the UAV is under control by the feedback control law. Steady-state pitch attitude achieved by the stabilizing control law is derived to provide insight on the closed-loop behavior of the controlled system. The proposed idea is free of linearization, gain-scheduling procedures, so that one can design high maneuverability of UAVs for pitching motion in the presence of significant model uncertainty.