Case 01 / Guidance & flight control
Moving-platform quadrotor landing
A nonlinear quadrotor simulation tracks a moving platform and transitions from approach to docking. Replay six scenarios alongside the state and control plots.
6 recorded MATLAB simulation scenariosHow do you move from searching for a platform to matching its motion and completing a controlled descent?
I developed a modular MATLAB simulation combining a nonlinear quadrotor model, virtual-target guidance, full-state feedback and approach-to-docking logic. The 3D replay and plots use the same recorded simulation states, so each manoeuvre can be checked against the numerical response.
Method and workflow
- 01
Model the vehicle
Propagate 12 states with rigid-body force and moment equations and fixed-step RK4 integration.
- 02
Find the handoff
Search and homing logic track a virtual target around the moving platform.
- 03
Align and descend
Transition into landing, align above the docking point and reduce the target height.
- 04
Test the exceptions
Replay disturbances, a stopped platform, handoff stress and the case where landing permission is denied.
Same run. Every view.
Check the endpoint.
Docking requires position error ≤0.08 m, vertical error ≤0.03 m and relative platform speed ≤0.35 m/s. The docking reference is 0.10 m above the platform plane. These are numerical stopping criteria; landing-gear contact is outside the model.
| Scenario | End time | Dock error | Vertical error | Relative speed | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal approach | 28.02 s | 0.031 m | 0.030 m | 0.011 m/s | Criteria met |
| Small force / torque perturbation | 28.00 s | 0.038 m | 0.020 m | 0.020 m/s | Criteria met |
| Time-varying disturbance | 27.98 s | 0.019 m | 0.011 m | 0.055 m/s | Criteria met |
| Far initialization | 27.58 s | 0.031 m | 0.030 m | 0.011 m/s | Criteria met |
| Landing permission denied | 25.00 s | 0.940 m | 0.543 m | 0.271 m/s | Orbit maintained |
| Platform stopped | 28.02 s | 0.030 m | 0.030 m | 0.011 m/s | Criteria met |
The permission-denied run is intentionally not a landing test. Its larger docking error is consistent with remaining in orbit.
Model assumptions and scope
- Docking is defined by position and velocity tolerances. Ground contact and landing-gear dynamics are not simulated.
- The controller receives the full simulated state; camera processing, state estimation and measurement delays are outside this model.
- The quadcopter mesh is for visualization. Vehicle dynamics use the simulation parameters, independently of the displayed geometry.
Potential extensions
Extend the study with measurement delay, actuator dynamics and repeated trials under matched conditions.
Let’s work through it.
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