Formation Control of UAVs Based on Improved Artificial Potential Field
Y. J. Zhang, C.L. Philip Chen, Jinbao Chen, Meng Chen, Xiaokang Deng, Zeyu Zhang · 2024
This article introduces a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) formation flight control based on an improved APF (artificial potential field). Utilizing the Leader-Follower formation approach, the path of the leader UAV is pre-planned, and followers maintain the designated formation configuration. To avert collisions between UAVs, an APF is integrated to facilitate emergency avoidance. Considering the environmental scenario with obstacles, distinct artificial repulsive fields are established for various obstacles. In order to tackle the issue of unreachable goals within the APF method, an additional term related to the target is introduced. This addition effectively eliminates the impact of obstacles surrounding the target point. The error between the follower's actual and expected positions is fed into the PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control module, progressively minimizing the tracking error and ensuring the stability of the UAV formation configuration. Simulation results affirm the effectiveness and viability of the proposed formation control strategy elucidated in this article.