Finite-time adaptive tracking control for quad-rotor systems with safety constraints

This paper investigates the finite-time position tracking control problem for quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles subject to parametric uncertainties and state constraints. Unlike existing works that predominantly focus on ideal quad-rotor systems without physical limitations, unknown parametric uncertainties arising from imprecise mass identification or time-varying aerodynamic disturbances are explicitly considered in this paper. In addition, to ensure ight safety and regulatory compliance, both the position and velocity states are constrained within prescribed compact sets throughout the mission. To address these challenges, an adaptive finite-time control scheme is proposed integrating a logarithmic barrier Lyapunov function within the backstepping-based framework, which simultaneously enforces the prescribed state constraints and compensates for the unknown parametric uncertainties. Rigorous Lyapunov-based stability analysis guarantees that the position tracking errors converge to zero within a finite settling time and all state constraints are strictly satisfied. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. This work advances the state-of-the-art by providing an innovative framework for constrained finite-time control under parametric uncertainties, with potential applications in safety-critical quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles operations.