Modeling and flatness-based control of a 3d of helicopter laboratory experiment

Abstract This paper deals with the modeling and control of a three-degrees-of-freedom helicopter laboratory experiment. The helicopter belongs to the class of mechanical systems underactuated by one control. The mathematical model is derived using the Lagrange formalism in combination with the concept of twists and wrenches. It can be proven that the full system is not configuration flat. Nevertheless, by a slight modification of the generalized forces, which can also be interpreted in terms of a constructive change in the experimental set-up, we are able to design a flatness-based controller. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed concept.