A Fast Adaptive Control Algorithm for an Unmanned Helicopter Stability Augmentation System

The task of control of unmanned helicopters is complicated as they exhibit highly coupled nonlinear dynamics and inherent instability. Moreover, the problem is often accentuated due to inaccurate modeling. This paper presents a fast adaptive control algorithm for an unmanned helicopter stability augmentation system with a guaranteed model reference tracking performance. In comparison with the existing adaptive algorithm, the proposed algorithm can also speed up the convergence rates of adjustable parameters and significantly reduce the tracking error, even when the plant parameters vary rapidly. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed fast adaptive control algorithm are demonstrated through a series of simulation tests.