Multiple UAVs cooperative formation forming control based on back-stepping-like approach

Abstract

To ensure multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) reach stable formation quickly, a cooperative guidance law based on the back-stepping-like approach is designed in this paper. Adopting the guidance mechanism of virtue leader vehicle, the dynamic equation of tracking errors for each UAV is built. The communication interactive relationships are described based on graph theory, and the guidance law for formation reaching is obtained by the back-stepping-like approach. The formation stability is analyzed by constructing an appropriate Lyapunov function. The simulation results have shown that this guidance and control law can make each UAV converge to the trajectory of the virtue leader ultimately, and has the quicker rate of convergence and lower tracking error.