Minimum snap trajectory generation and control for quadrotors

TLDR

Indoor environments require large attitude excursions beyond small‑angle approximations for roll and pitch. The paper aims to design a controller and generate trajectories for indoor quadrotor navigation. An algorithm generates real‑time optimal 3‑D trajectories with corridor safety and kinematic constraints, and a nonlinear controller tracks them accurately. Experiments show the method enables fast quadrotor motion (5–10 body lengths per second) through 3‑D slalom courses.

Abstract

We address the controller design and the trajectory generation for a quadrotor maneuvering in three dimensions in a tightly constrained setting typical of indoor environments. In such settings, it is necessary to allow for significant excursions of the attitude from the hover state and small angle approximations cannot be justified for the roll and pitch. We develop an algorithm that enables the real-time generation of optimal trajectories through a sequence of 3-D positions and yaw angles, while ensuring safe passage through specified corridors and satisfying constraints on velocities, accelerations and inputs. A nonlinear controller ensures the faithful tracking of these trajectories. Experimental results illustrate the application of the method to fast motion (5-10 body lengths/second) in three-dimensional slalom courses.