Affine Formation Control of Multiple Quadcopters

Abstract

This paper considers the distributed time-varying formation tracking control problem of multi-quadcopter systems using affine formation control strategies with multiple virtual leaders. A novel two-layer (formation layer and local control layer) affine formation control structure is established to account for the underactuated nature of the quadcopter dynamics. In the formation layer, a quadcopter is abstracted as a virtual double-integrator agent and affine formation controllers are then designed based on the networked double-integrator dynamics. The resultant virtual affine formation control inputs from the formation layer are converted to the desired attitudes based on the quadcopter dynamics, and a sliding mode controller is then proposed to ensure flnite-time tracking convergence to the desired attitude in the local control layer. Numerical simulations were carried out using a group of six quadcopters in the XY-plane to demonstrate and validate the effectiveness of the developed controllers.