Output feedback control of a UAV for vision-based target tracking

In recent years, small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as quadrotors have become a popular platform for control and robotics research with application to mapping, delivery, and surveillance problems, to name a few . The research activity in autonomous navigation has increased dramatically and the proposed solutions are rapidly approaching the goal of near-complete autonomy. To achieve this ambitious goal, it is also necessary to provide the vehicle with autonomous maneuvering capabili- ties. In this respect, the incorporation of visual cues in the flight control system is seen as a key element for designing robust and reactive control laws.In this paper, a model-based control approach is proposed for autonomous vision-based tracking of a moving target by a quadrotor vehicle. To solve this problem, we rely on an output feedback perspective within a robust control framework