Intrinsic Sampling-Aware Discrete-Time Geometric Backstepping for Aggressive Quadrotor Tracking on SO(3)

Abstract This paper addresses a well-recognized inconsistency arising in sampled implementations of nonlinear geometric control: continuous-time (CT) Lyapunov stability does not, in general, guarantee a negative discrete-time (DT) Lyapunov forward difference after sampled-data implementation, potentially leading to discrepancies between predicted and implemented closed-loop behavior. To resolve this issue for quadrotor trajectory tracking, an intrinsic DT geometric backstepping framework is developed on $$\textsf{SO}(3)$$ SO ( 3 ) that explicitly accounts for sampling effects while preserving the Lie-group structure of the attitude dynamics. The proposed framework addresses the noncausal dependence inherent in DT backstepping through a structure-preserving geometric predictor that enables causal one-step matching directly on $$\textsf{SO}(3)$$ SO ( 3 ) . Geometric consistency is preserved through a Lie-group formulation, while a rigorous DT Lyapunov difference analysis explicitly characterizes sampling-dependent stability properties arising from finite-step residual effects. The analysis establishes global exponential stability of the translational subsystem and Semi-Globally Uniformly Ultimately Bounded (SGUUB) of the rotational tracking errors with sampling-dependent margins. Simulations demonstrate accurate tracking under aggressive maneuvers, machine-precision preservation of $$\textsf{SO}(3)$$ SO ( 3 ) orthogonality, and closed-loop behavior consistent with theoretical sampling bounds, supporting the effectiveness of intrinsic DT design for achieving sampling-consistent closed-loop behavior under practical sampling conditions.