Distributed Cooperative Control for Multi-UAV Flying Formation

The problem of collaborative pattern tracking in multi-agent systems (MAS) like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is investigated in this article. First, a new method for distributed consensus is constructed inside the framework of the leader-following approach for second-order nonlinear MAS. The technique canceled the chattering effect observed in the conventional sliding mode-based control protocols by transmitting smooth input signals to agents' control channels. Second, a novel formation framework is proposed to accomplish three-dimensional formation tracking by including consensus procedures in the formation dynamics model. This will allow for formation tracking in all three dimensions. The Lyapunov theory provides evidence demonstrating the proposed protocols' stability and convergence. Numerical simulations have been carried out to prove the proposed algorithms' effectiveness.