Barrier Function-Based Adaptive Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Control of Ducted-Fan Quadrotors

Vertical Flight Ducted-Fan Quadrotors (VFDFQs) offer enhanced safety and lower maintenance compared to conventional quadrotors but present distinct control challenges, including higher sensitivity to disturbances and model uncertainties. While Sliding Mode Control (SMC) is a promising solution for its robustness, its application to VFDFQs is hindered by the chattering phenomenon, which causes severe oscillations and poses a risk to actuators. This paper bridges this gap by proposing a novel barrier-function-based adaptive global super-twisting sliding mode controller. The core of our method lies in integrating an adaptive continuous barrier function into a global super-twisting structure. This combination guarantees finite-time convergence of the sliding surface, provides robust stabilization against lumped uncertainties, and critically, eliminates control chattering by ensuring a continuous control signal. Extensive simulations under various disturbance scenarios validate the proposed controller's performance. The results demonstrate a significant improvement over standard SMC and adaptive SMC, with the proposed method reducing convergence time by approximately 50% and 18%, respectively, and lowering overshoot by about 80% and 5%, respectively. These quantified outcomes highlight the controller's superior transient performance and practical viability for VFDFQ applications.