Close-Formation Flight Control with Motion Synchronization

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1316-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinjun Shan ◽  
Hong-Tao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Flight Control ◽  
Formation Flight ◽  
Motion Synchronization

String Instabilities in Formation Flight: Limitations Due to Integral Constraints

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 873-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Seiler ◽  
A. Pant ◽  
J. K. Hedrick
Keyword(s):  
Flight Control ◽  
Formation Control ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Formation Flight ◽  
Control Laws ◽  
Aerodynamic Efficiency ◽  
Preceding Vehicle ◽  
Specific Control ◽  
Theoretical Results

Flying in formation improves aerodynamic efficiency and, consequently, leads to an energy savings. One strategy for formation control is to follow the preceding vehicle. Many researchers have shown through simulation results and analysis of specific control laws that this strategy leads to amplification of disturbances as they propagate through the formation. This effect is known as string instability. In this paper, we show that string instability is due to a fundamental constraint on coupled feedback loops. The tradeoffs imposed by this constraint imply that predecessor following is an inherently poor strategy for formation flight control. Finally, we present two examples that demonstrate the theoretical results.

scholarly journals Virtual Electric Dipole Field Applied to Autonomous Formation Flight Control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4540
Author(s):  
Leszek Ambroziak ◽  
Maciej Ciężkowski
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Flight Control ◽  
Electric Dipole ◽  
Potential Field ◽  
Control Algorithm ◽  
Formation Flight ◽  
Potential Fields ◽  
Dipole Potential ◽  
Aerial Vehicles

The following paper presents a method for the use of a virtual electric dipole potential field to control a leader-follower formation of autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The proposed control algorithm uses a virtual electric dipole potential field to determine the desired heading for a UAV follower. This method’s greatest advantage is the ability to rapidly change the potential field function depending on the position of the independent leader. Another advantage is that it ensures formation flight safety regardless of the positions of the initial leader or follower. Moreover, it is also possible to generate additional potential fields which guarantee obstacle and vehicle collision avoidance. The considered control system can easily be adapted to vehicles with different dynamics without the need to retune heading control channel gains and parameters. The paper closely describes and presents in detail the synthesis of the control algorithm based on vector fields obtained using scalar virtual electric dipole potential fields. The proposed control system was tested and its operation was verified through simulations. Generated potential fields as well as leader-follower flight parameters have been presented and thoroughly discussed within the paper. The obtained research results validate the effectiveness of this formation flight control method as well as prove that the described algorithm improves flight formation organization and helps ensure collision-free conditions.

UAV Formation Flight Control by Using the Surface Electromyography Signals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiang Jun ◽  
Boxin Zhao ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Wanhui Guo ◽  
Peng Fang
Keyword(s):  
Flight Control ◽  
Surface Electromyography ◽  
Formation Flight ◽  
Electromyography Signals

Multivariable adaptive distributed leader-follower flight control for multiple UAVs formation

2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (1241) ◽  
pp. 877-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Xu ◽  
Z. Zhen
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Control ◽  
Control System ◽  
Flight Control ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Formation Control ◽  
Parametric Uncertainty ◽  
Lyapunov Theory ◽  
Formation Flight ◽  
Flight Control System ◽  
Multiple Uavs

ABSTRACTThe Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) become more and more popular due to various potential application fields. This paper studies the distributed leader-follower formation flight control problem of multiple UAVs with uncertain parameters for both the leader and followers. This problem has not been addressed in the literature. Most of the existing literature considers the leader-follower formation control strategy with parametric uncertainty for the followers. However, they do not take the leader parametric uncertainty into account. Meanwhile, the distributed control strategy depends on less information interactions and is more likely to avoid information conflict. The dynamic model of the UAVs is established based on the aerodynamic parameters. The establishment of the topology structure between a collection of UAVs is based on the algebraic graph theory. To handle the parametric uncertainty of the UAVs dynamics, a multivariable model reference adaptive control (MRAC) method is addressed to design the control law, which enables follower UAVs to track the leader UAV. The stability of the formation flight control system is proved by the Lyapunov theory. Simulation results show that the proposed distributed adaptive leader-following formation flight control system has stronger robustness and adaptivity than the fixed control system, as well as the existing adaptive control system.

Distributed Formation Flight Control of Multirotor Helicopters

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 502-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ícaro Bezerra Viana ◽  
Davi Antônio dos Santos ◽  
Luiz Carlos Sandoval Góes ◽  
Igor Afonso Acampora Prado
Keyword(s):  
Flight Control ◽  
Formation Flight
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