UAV formation control based on combining consensus control and artificial potential field
Hongchao Zhao, Jianzhong Zhao, Xuexia Dong · 2021
In order to improve the collision avoidance capability of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formation, a new kind of UAV formation control algorithm was developed based on combining the consensus control and the artificial potential field (APF). The formation controller consisted of three sub-controllers. The first was a distributed consensus controller that controlled UAVs to maintain the desired formation shape. The second was an APF controller that avoided collisions among UAVs. The third was an APF controller that avoided collisions between UAVs and obstacles in the task space. Numerical simulation was performed to validate the effectiveness of the designed UAV formation controller. The simulation results show that 5 UAVs can safely avoid collisions with each other and collisions with the obstacles during their formation flight. Moreover, they can recover desired distance and desired shape after they avoid the obstacles.