Distributed backstepping based control of multiple UAV formation flight subject to time delays

• Published in: IET control theory & applications Vol. 14; no. 12; pp. 1628 - 1638
• Main Authors: Kartal, Yusuf, Subbarao, Kamesh, Gans, Nicholas R, Dogan, Atilla, Lewis, Frank
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 13.08.2020
• Subjects: actual flight test experiments; adaptive control; attitude control; autonomous aerial vehicles; backstepping‐based outer position controller design; cascade control; cascaded control system; centralised formation control; closed loop systems; closed‐loop stability; communication network; control algorithms; control system synthesis; delays; delay‐independent; directed graph; directed graphs; distributed backstepping based control; distributed backstepping structure; distributed control; distributed formation control method; distributed network time delays; inner attitude controller; linear attitude control loop; linear systems; Lyapunov methods; Lyapunov–Krasovskii analysis; mathematical model; mobile robots; multiple UAV formation flight; multiple unmanned aerial vehicles; multi‐robot systems; nonlinear control systems; nonlinear position control loop; position control; propellers; Research Article; stability; stability criteria; stability criterion; distributed network time delays; distributed formation control method; multi-robot systems; centralised formation control; mobile robots; distributed backstepping structure; cascade control; directed graph; attitude control; delay-independent; Lyapunov–Krasovskii analysis; position control; linear attitude control loop; distributed backstepping based control; backstepping-based outer position controller design; stability; actual flight test experiments; multiple UAV formation flight; communication network; distributed control; stability criterion; nonlinear position control loop; control system synthesis; adaptive control; stability criteria; linear systems; control algorithms; multiple unmanned aerial vehicles; closed-loop stability; cascaded control system; closed loop systems; propellers; autonomous aerial vehicles; directed graphs; delays; nonlinear control systems; inner attitude controller; mathematical model; Lyapunov methods

In this study, the authors propose a backstepping-based, distributed formation control method that is stable independent of time delays in communication among multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Centralised formation control of UAVs requires each agent to maintain a separation distance from ot...