Pitch Attitude Controller Design and Simulation for a Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

This paper investigates intelligent PID flight control approaches for a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pitch attitude. These methods are based on the longitudinal motion models of the small UAV. These intelligent PID controllers, including integral separated PID controller and adaptive proportion PID controller are designed and simulated for UAV’s pitch attitude control. In order to illuminate the performance of intelligent controller, the classic PID controller is designed and simulated being set to the opposite place. Our results demonstrate that the control result of the adaptive proportion PID controller is highly accepted in both dynamic and stability performance, for the controller’s ability to set a larger proportion control parameter of PID and adjust the parameter according to control process. The work described in this paper provides proposals for the design of Flight Control System of the small UAV.