Enhanced Proportional-Derivative Control of a Micro Quadcopter

This paper studies the design of an enhanced proportional-derivative (PD) controller to improve the transient response of a micro quadrotor helicopter (quadcopter). In particular, the controller minimizes the effect of disturbances by considering the orientation and rotation of the platform. A dynamics model is developed for an experimental micro quadcopter platform, and simulation results are presented that compare the proposed enhanced PD controller to a standard PD controller. Results show a 50% reduction in the peak response and a 45% reduction in the settling time, demonstrating the effectiveness of the controller.