Modeling and control design for miniature autonomous coaxial rotorcraft

This paper describes an approach for the design and integration of a control system for autonomous miniature rotorcraft. Precise and effective operation in complex spatial environments requires a tight integration of the control and guidance system. To achieve this we need to relate the spatial maneuvering specifications based on flight tasks to the inner-loop control system requirements.The paper also describes the identification of a linear model for the miniature coaxial rotorcraft dynamics used for our analysis and flight experiments. The collection of the flight test data for the identification and closed-loop experimental validation is performed in our interactive flight research lab.This work also serves as demonstration of this new type of indoor testing environment.