Control strategies evaluation for stabilizing a quadcopter docking on a side wall.

Abstract: This thesis contemplates the stabilization of a quadcopter in physical contact with a side wall via a mechanical arm. The drone is accelerated aiming to apply a greater force against the wall. Consequently, the drone adopts a tilted position that must be controlled. Three control strategies; Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control, sliding mode control (SMC) and model predictive control (MPC) together with two different arm designs are iterated to achieve the fastest and stable approach. Firstly, a derivation of the drone dynamics for each arm is achieved. Secondly, the different control strategies are implemented based on the derived dynamics. The obtained results show that the drone is capable of docking at a certain speed, remaining stable while exerting a force against the wall.