Virtual Leader Based Formation Control of Multiple Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs): Control Design, Simulation and Real-Time Experiment

Abstract

Closed formation control for multiple unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) is studied in this chapter. The leading-following strategy with a virtual leader is applied to coordinate the whole formation group so that only local information is sufficient for every UGV to maintain close formation. Error-shaping memory-based control is designed for formation path tracking. The salient feature of this approach lies in its simplicity in design and implementation, and no need for detailed information on external disturbances and uncertainties. The performance of the proposed method is verified via real-time experiment on various formation operations.