TY - JOUR T1 - Robust Control of a Quadcopter BLDC Motor: Comparative Analysis of PID and H∞ Controllers AU - Kiss, Barnabás AU - Ballagi, Aron AU - Kuczmann, Miklós PY - 2025 DA - October Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.30939/ijastech..1754212 JF - International Journal of Automotive Science And Technology JO - IJASTECH PB - Otomotiv Mühendisleri Derneği WT - DergiPark SN - 2587-0963 SP - 1 EP - 6 VL - 9 IS - Special Issue 1st Future of Vehicles: Innovation, Engineering and Economic Conference LA - en AB - The aim of the present study was to investigate a control strategy designed for the BLDC (Brushless Direct Current) motor of a quadcopter-type drone, with particular emphasis on the precise and stable maintenance of altitude in a disturbed environment. Two different control methods were implemented and compared during the research: the classical PID (Proportional–Integral–Derivative) controller and the H∞ (H-infinity) control technique. The investigations were carried out along two approaches. On the one hand, a transfer function—reproduced from a previous study—was used as a possible reference, and tested in the MATLAB simulation environment. On the other hand, a custom-developed physical prototype with one degree of freedom was created, capable of vertical motion along a single axis, allowing for the examination of altitude control under real-world conditions. The purpose of the system was to maintain a predetermined hovering altitude even in the presence of external disturbances, such as artificially generated wind. During the design of the control algorithms, a state-space-based modeling approach was applied, and appropriate weighting functions were defined, with special attention given to robustness against disturbances, control accuracy, and energy-efficient operation. The simulation results showed that the H∞ controller reduced average power demand by 19.43% compared to PID control, while practical measurements demonstrated a 38% decrease in average power consumption. In addition, overshoot was reduced by 96% and oscillation amplitude by 86% under wind disturbance. The objective of the research was to examine the practical applica-bility of an advanced control method that can provide greater stability, reliability, and energy effi-ciency under varying environmental conditions compared to traditional solutions. KW - Altitude Control KW - Custom-built Drone Model KW - Energy Efficiency KW - H-infinity Control KW - PID Control KW - State-space Modeling CR - [1] Ezhil VS, Sriram BR, Vijay RC, Yeshwant S, Sabareesh RK, Dakkshesh G, Raffik R. Investigation on PID controller usage on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for stability control. Mater Today Proc. 2022;66:1313–1318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.05.134 CR - [2] Lopez-Sanchez I, Moreno-Valenzuela J. 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State-Space Method-Based Frame Dynamics Analysis of the Six-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. World Electr Veh J. 2025;16(6):331. https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj16060331 CR - [23] Kiss B, Ballagi Á, Kuczmann M. Investigation of Energy-Efficient UAV Control: Analysis of PID and MPC Performance. Accepted for publication in Eng Proc. To be presented at the Sustainable Mobility and Transportation Symposium; 2025 Oct 16–18; Győr, Hungary. UR - https://doi.org/10.30939/ijastech..1754212 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/5105055 ER -