Technical Papers
Feb 21, 2024

Time-Varying Nonholonomic UAV Formation Control with Trajectory Prediction and Nonlinear Model Predictive Control

Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 37, Issue 3

Abstract

This paper proposes a time-varying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formation control method based on trajectory prediction and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC). First, in formation control, the nominal controller is constructed using a linear model and consensus for theoretical stability assurance. The time-varying formation control of nonholonomic UAVs subsequently is achieved by integrating the nonholonomic model with the NMPC, using the desired state derived from the nominal controller. Furthermore, considering the optimal obstacle avoidance problem of moving obstacles, the transformer is used to predict the trajectory in the predictive horizon, the safety constraints are established in combination with the discrete control barrier function (DCBF), and the optimal obstacle avoidance is realized by reducing the additional motion generated during obstacle avoidance. Subsequently, the NMPC-DCBF-transformer is integrated to realize the optimal obstacle avoidance control of nonholonomic UAV time-varying formation. Finally, the algorithm’s effectiveness was verified by numerical simulation, and the advantages of the algorithm were verified by comparison.

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Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

This paper is funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (62203050).

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Go to Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 37Issue 3May 2024

History

Received: Jul 28, 2023
Accepted: Nov 29, 2023
Published online: Feb 21, 2024
Published in print: May 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jul 21, 2024

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School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China (corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1784-8596. Email: [email protected]
Bi Wu, Ph.D. [email protected]
Beijing Blue Sky Innovation Center for Frontier Science, No. 11 Anningzhuang Rd., Beijing 100085, China. Email: [email protected]
Hongbin Deng [email protected]
Professor, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. Email: [email protected]
Yahao Xu, Ph.D. [email protected]
School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. Email: [email protected]
Xunju Ma, Ph.D. [email protected]
Institute of Computer Engineering (ZITI), Heidelberg Univ., Heidelberg 69120, Germany. Email: [email protected]

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