Real-time robust tracking control for a quadrotor using monocular vision

In this paper, the autonomous trajectory-tracking problem for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based on Sliding Mode Control (SMC) algorithms is treated. The control system is implemented in real-time to stabilize a commercial AR.Drone 2.0 quadrotor using monocular vision. The under-actuated mathematical model is based on the Newton-Euler formulation. The algorithm allows the stabilization of the quadrotor in all its states under the simultaneous effect of parametric uncertainties and constant external disturbances. The vision algorithm uses a monocular camera to estimate the vehicle’s position. The experimental test results and numerical simulations show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller.