Comparative Study of PID, PD, LQR, and LQR-PD Regulators for Quadrotor Stabilization and Trajectory Tracking

Abstract

Quadrotors, a type of unmanned aerial vehicle, utilize four rotors for precise lift and control, making them highly versatile for a variety of tasks, such as delivery, inspection, mapping, and monitoring. The growing importance of quadcopters is due to their ability to perform a variety of tasks, such as mapping, inspection, surveillance, and delivery. However, their design and four motors make them inherently unstable and difficult to control, which can limit their potential. To improve stability, four controllers (Proportional Derivative, Proportional Integral Derivative, Linear Quadratic Regulator, and Linear Quadratic Regulator-Proportional Derivative) were tested on a quadcopter Simulink model created with MATLAB/SIMULINK. Simulation results showed that the Linear Quadratic Regulator-Proportional Derivative controller was the most effective in terms of stabilization and speed, particularly for hovering along the x and y axes. This controller was found to be reliable and efficient, providing a smooth and fast response. Tuning these controllers can optimize the quadcopter's stability, accuracy, and speed, enabling them to perform a wider range of tasks.