Time-Optimal Attitude Control of a Quadrotor UAV

This paper presents the optimal control for a minimum-time, large-angle reorientation maneuver of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle. We use the Euler’s equations of motion and the Modified Rodrigues Parameters to describe the attitude motion of the vehicle. The minimum-time optimal control problem for large-angle reorientation maneuvers is formulated based on calculus of variations and Pontryagin’s minumum principle. At the end, the minimum-time problem is solved numerically and optimal controls are found for a typical quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle. The numerical simulations confirm our results are in agreement with analytical methods.