Development and Validation of a Control System for Mini Quadrotors: the STEVAL-DRONE02 case study

UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) have emerged as versatile platforms widely used in different contexts such as research, industrial applications, transportation, surveillance and agricultural purposes, mainly due to their compact size and high maneuverability. This thesis focuses on the development, numerical validation and experimental testing of the control system for the STEVAL-DRONE02, a mini quadrotor from STMicroelectronics. The control framework involves three distinct strategies, i.e. Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID), Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR), and Geometric Control (GC), each aimed at improving the system’s stability and performance. A special attitude estimator is also implemented to enhance the orientation tracking accuracy. To ensure accurate control, the quadrotor’s mass and inertia parameters are determined through CAD modeling, while the propulsion system’s capabilities are assessed with ad-hoc experimental tests. The proposed control strategies are effectively validated through simulations based on a numerically accurate quadrotor model, and further tested on real hardware by using modern Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP) techniques.