A Deep Neural Network-Fused Mathematical Modeling Approach for Reliable Flight Control of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

In order to ensure the flight safety of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a deep neural network-fused mathematical modeling approach is put up for reliable flight control of small UAVs. First, engine torque, thrust eccentricity and initial stop angle are taken into full consideration. A six-degree-of-freedom nonlinear model is formulated for small UAVs, concerning both ground taxiing and air flight status. Then, the model was linearized using the principle of small disturbances. The linearized model expressions for both ground taxiing and air flight were provided. In addition, radial basis function neural networks are used for online approximation to address the nonlinearity and uncertainty caused by changes in aircraft aerodynamic parameters. At the same time, to compensate for the external disturbance and the approximation error of the neural network, the system robustness is improved by selecting reasonable design parameters. This helps the whole flight control system obtain better tracking control performance. At last, some simulation experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed mathematical modeling framework. The simulation results show that the proposal has stronger convergence ability, smaller prediction error, and better performance. Thus, proper proactivity can be acknowledged.