A multi-strategy pigeon-inspired optimization approach to active disturbance rejection control parameters tuning for vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing UAV

In this paper, Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) is utilized in the pitch control of a vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to address the problem of height fluctuation during the transition from hover to level flight. Considering the difficulty of parameter tuning of ADRC as well as the requirement of accuracy and rapidity of the controller, a Multi-Strategy Pigeon-Inspired Optimization (MSPIO) algorithm is employed. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), the basic Pigeon-Inspired Optimization (PIO), and an improved PIO algorithm CMPIO are compared. In addition, the optimized ADRC control system is compared with the pure Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control system and the non-optimized ADRC control system. The effectiveness of the designed control strategy for forward transition is verified and the faster convergence speed and better exploitation ability of the proposed MSPIO algorithm are confirmed by simulation results.