Modelling and control of helicopter robotic landing gear for uneven ground conditions

Abstract

This paper proposes a method to investigate into helicopter landing on uneven terrain by means of using a scaled articulated robotic landing gear. A mathematical model of an articulated robotic landing gear that adapts to uneven ground conditions is considered. The model consists of a planar landing gear composed of two legs connected by a base and a skid at each end. Each skid has two degrees of freedom with PID joint controllers to provide stability while landing. A combination of Lagrange and Newton-Euler techniques is used to model the system dynamics. This work also includes a model of the ground interaction, a thrust controller and a level controller to maintain stability while landing. Experimental results with a laboratory-build scaled prototype are included and compared with the simulations.