QP-Based Control of an Underactuated Aerial Manipulator under Constraints

Abstract: This paper presents a constraint-aware control framework for underactuated aerial manipulators, enabling accurate end-effector trajectory tracking while explicitly accounting for safety and feasibility constraints. The control problem is formulated as a quadratic program that computes dynamically consistent generalized accelerations subject to underactuation, actuator bounds, and system constraints. To enhance robustness against disturbances, modeling uncertainties, and steady-state errors, a passivity-based integral action is incorporated at the torque level without compromising feasibility. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through high-fidelity physics-based simulations, which include parameter perturbations, viscous joint friction, and realistic sensing and state-estimation effects. This demonstrates accurate tracking, smooth control inputs, and reliable constraint satisfaction under realistic operating conditions.