Control Algorithms for Quadrotor UAVs under Wind Disturbance

As unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) outdoor missions increase, low-altitude wind disturbances significantly affect flight performance and demand stronger control robustness. Based on the quadrotor dynamic model considering wind disturbances developed in the previous work, this study investigates the antidisturbance performance of proportional-integral-derivative control, sliding mode control (SMC), and SMC based on the extended state observer (SMCESO) through simulations and experiments under both steady and sudden wind conditions. The study considers both linear and nonlinear control strategies as well as passive- and active-disturbance rejection approaches. Results show that SMCESO achieves superior disturbance rejection under time-varying winds, though with larger angular fluctuations than SMC at high wind speeds. A sensitivity analysis of key SMCESO parameters provides tuning guidance. Additionally, the consistency of data results between simulation and experiment verifies the established dynamic model that accounts for wind disturbances.