Planar path following control for stratospheric airship

A novel planar path following control method for an underactuated stratospheric airship is presented in this study. Firstly, the Guidance-Based Path Following (GBPF) principle and the Trajectory Linearisation Control (TLC) theory are described. Then, dynamic model of the stratospheric airship is introduced with kinematics and dynamics equations. Based on this model, a path following control strategy integrated GBPF principle and TLC theory is deduced. The designed control system possesses a cascaded structure which consists of guidance law subsystem, attitude control loop and velocity control loop. Stability analysis shows that the controlled closed-loop system is asymptotically stable. Finally, simulations for the stratospheric airship and flight experimental results for a low-altitude airship to follow typical paths are illustrated to verify effectiveness of the proposed approach.