Relative motion coupled control based on dual quaternion

Coordinated control problem of translation and rotation between two spacecraft is investigated in this paper. Using dual quaternion, we establish the relative coupled dynamic model in which the coupling effect between translational and rotational motion is indicated. Based on the logarithm of dual quaternion, a model-independent PD-like controller is proposed for spacecraft tracking control problem. The convergence of the closed loop system in the presence of external disturbances is proven theoretically. The validity of the proposed approach is demonstrated by numerical simulations. The advantages of the proposed controller are displayed by comparing with others.