LAUSR

This brief addresses the problem of trajectory tracking control of autonomous rotorcraft in operation scenarios where only relative position measurements obtained from light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors are possible. The proposed approach defines an alternative kinematic model, directly based on LiDAR measurements, and uses a trajectory-dependent error space to express the dynamic model of the vehicle. A linear parameter varying representation with piecewise affine dependence on the parameters is adopted to describe the error dynamics over a set of predefined operating regions, and a continuous-time $\mathcal {H}_{2}$ control problem is solved using linear matrix inequalities and implemented within the scope of gain-scheduling control theory. The performance of the proposed control method is validated with comprehensive simulation and experimental results, using a mock-up scenario of a pier inspected by a quadrotor.