Gain function-based visual tracking control for inertial stabilized platform with output constraints and disturbances

In this paper, a composite control strategy is proposed to deal with output constraints and disturbances of the visual tracking system for an inertial stabilized platform, which combines active disturbance compensation and the variable gain function technique. Firstly, the model of system considering multi-source disturbances is established, where the controlled output is the constrained position of the target in the image plane. Secondly, in order to avoid the tracked target being lost in the field of view of the camera, a control method based on the variable gain function technique is designed to ensure that the controlled output remains within the feasible range. Moreover, the active disturbance estimation and compensation method is introduced to improve the anti-disturbance ability of the system under the situation of small output error, obtaining satisfactory tracking performance. The stability analysis and the proof of constrained output are given following the controller design. Finally, results of simulation and experiments are shown to illustrate the promised advantages of the proposed composite control approach.