LAUSR

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a control approach for small unmanned helicopters, and a novel swarm intelligence algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of the proposed controller. Design/methodology/approach Small unmanned helicopters have many advantages over other unmanned aerial vehicles. However, the manual operation process is difficult because the model is always instable and coupling. In this paper, a novel optimized active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) approach is presented for small unmanned helicopters. First, a linear attitude model is built in hovering condition according to small perturbation linearization. To realize decoupling, this model is divided into two parts, and each part is equipped with an ADRC controller. Finally, a novel Levy flight-based pigeon-inspired optimization (LFPIO) algorithm is developed to find the optimal ADRC parameters and enhance the performance of controller. Findings This paper applies ADRC method to the attitude control of small unmanned helicopters so that it can be implemented in practical flight under complex environments. Besides, a novel LFPIO algorithm is proposed to optimize the parameters of ADRC and is proved to be more efficient than other homogenous methods. Research limitations/implications The model of proposed controller is built in the hovering action, whereas it cannot be used in other flight modes. Practical implications The optimized ADRC method can be implemented in actual flight, and the proposed LFPIO algorithm can be developed in other practical optimization problems. Originality/value ADRC method can enhance the response and robustness of unmanned helicopters which make it valuable in actual environments. The proposed LFPIO algorithm is proved to be an effective swarm intelligence optimizer, and it is convenient and valuable to apply it in other optimized systems.