Rigid-body attitude control guaranteeing finite-time convergence

This study proposes an effective solution to the problem of attitude control for a rigid body satisfying angular velocity constraint as well as providing fault-tolerant capability. More specifically, a finite-time sliding surface containing attitude quaternion and angular velocity is first defined. Then, a novel tan-type prescribed performance control (PPC) with simple structure is presented to confine the sliding surface within a predefined performance boundary. Not only the attitude quaternion and angular velocity are indirectly constrained, but also it is thoroughly proved that the rotation velocity constraint is met even when severe actuators faults occur. The closed-loop attitude system is confirmed to be finite-time stable in the sense of Lyapunov stability. Numerical simulations clearly illustrate the effectiveness and usefulness of the suggested finite-time PPC despite actuator faults and environmental disturbances.