Stability and Flight Control Analysis of a Multirotor Drone Under Variable Payload Conditions

A payload changes the mass, the center of gravity and the moments of inertia of a multirotor and therefore its flight dynamics. This paper analyzes the stability and flight control of a multirotor drone under variable payload conditions. A simplified dynamic model is used to explain the changes, and attitude response and hover stability are simulated for different payload masses and positions. The influence of the payload on controller performance and on the need for retuning is discussed. In simulation a payload increase from 0 to 750 g (centred) raised the roll overshoot from 17.0 % to 35.2 % and the settling time from 0.99 s to 2.63 s with fixed gains, showing that retuning or gain scheduling is needed for heavier loads.