Vision-Based Leader-Follower Formation Control for Mobile Robots

This paper proposes a vision-based formation control method for multi-robot systems in the absence of inter-robot communication, employing a leader-follower scheme with a single Kinect camera as the sole sensor. By utilizing a pose estimation algorithm based on RGBD images, the relative position and orientation of the leader are captured. An anticipated formation shape aligned in the same movement direction is generated using a dipole vector field, ensuring formation stability. To address the limited field of view of the Kinect camera, an auxiliary system is designed to transform visibility constraints into input constraints, enabling effective control under non-communicative conditions. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves real-time and robust formation control despite visibility limitations, simplifying the system architecture and enhancing practicality.