Distributed Leader-Follower Formation Tracking Control of Multiple Quad-rotors

Abstract

The leader-follower formation control analysis for multiple quad-rotor systems is investigated in this paper. To achieve predefined formation in the three-dimensional air space (x, y and z), a novel local tracking control law and a distributed observer are obtained. The local tracking control law starts with finding a bounded continuous yet greater-than-zero control in z, based on which following a feedback linearization (FL) controls derived for errors associated with x and y. By this design method, we obtain less states to be regulated than the traditional extension FL methodology. Then, the proposed distributed observer solves the problems that only a subset of followers can know the leaders states and only neighboring communication is available. Simulation results validate the proposed formation scheme.