Globally Stable Formation Control of Nonholonomic Multiagent Systems With Bearing-Only Measurement

Abstract

In this article, the formation control problem of multiagent systems with nonholonomic constraints by bearing-only measurements is studied. Many previous works used the notation of infinitesimal rigidity to define the communication topology in formation control, but the global stability is difficult to achieve without leaders. To overcome this shortage, the maximal clique graph is used to define the topological relationship between agents. By minimizing the designed cost function, a novel distributed bearing-only formation controller is designed. Then, the close-loop system can achieve the global stability due to the existence of common agents between the maximal cliques under the designed controller. Besides, the global collision avoidance control strategy is also investigated with assistant distance measurement, which can prevent collisions between agents during the whole formation process. In addition, the embedded rotation angles between the final formation and the target formation are presented to optimize the motion process in real time. Finally, the simulation results verify the effectiveness of the designed controllers.