Fault-Tolerant Leader-Follower Formation Control Based on Sliding Mode Control Subject to Actuator Failures

This paper tackles the stability challenges in formation control of multiple autonomous ground vehicles under coupled effects of external disturbances, parameter uncertainties, and actuator faults. A hierarchical cooperative control framework based on sliding mode control (SMC) is proposed. First, a virtual kinematic control scheme is formulated to meet geometric formation objectives, while a dynamic control law employing SMC is developed to effectively mitigate disturbances and fault-induced impacts. Then, leveraging Lyapunov stability theory, the input-to-state stability and local convergence of the tracking error system are rigorously ensured by the derived sufficient conditions.