Heave Dynamics Control of Hovercraft via H_∞ -Control Theory

Abstract

When a hovercraft is navigated, it is frequently heaved by some complex causes. However, most methods of decreasing the heave are only in the structural design of a vehicle.
In this paper we considered the application of H_∞-control theory to designing the controllers which decreased the heave of hovercraft. To begin with the study, we made a simple model of a hovercraft which was restricted in two degrees of mechanical freedom (vertical motion and rotation) and made some configuration control experiments on it. As the result, we could show the effectiveness of our method.