Multi-UAV Cooperative Formation Control Considering Finite Time and Collision Avoidance

In this paper, the formation control problem for UAVs subject to model uncertainty and external disturbance is studied. To realize the control goals, the formation control problem of UAVs is decomposed into position consensus control and attitude consensus control. Firstly, a finite-time position consensus controller is developed for UAVs such that the desired formation can be formed in a finite time. In the position controller, a collision avoidance mechanism is designed on the basis of a novel artificial potential field function. Secondly, to handle dynamic model uncertainties and realize attitude tracking control, a robust filter based finite-time attitude tracking controller is developed. Finally, stability of the position control subsystem and the attitude control subsystem is analyzed using Lyapunov method. And simulation results on MATLAB and RflySim show that the proposed algorithm enables UAVs to form stable formation while avoiding collisions within a finite time.