Decentralized output-feedback formation control of multiple 3-DOF laboratory helicopters. Issue 9 (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Zhan; Xing, Xing; Yu, Jinyong
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Franklin Institute. Volume 352:Issue 9(2015:Sep.)
• Page Start: 3827
• Page End: 3842
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Science -- Periodicals; Technology -- Periodicals; Patents -- United States -- Periodicals; 505
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfranklin.2014.11.023
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0016-0032

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="author" id="ab0005"> <title id="sect0005">Abstract</title> <sec> <p id="sp0045">The decentralized formation control problem of multiple 3-degree of freedom laboratory helicopter models is studied on directed communication topologies in this paper. The laboratory helicopter models are subjected to non-linearity, under-actuated, and equipped only with angular position sensors. We present a decentralized formation controller which includes a non-linear uncertainty and disturbance estimation (UDE) term to compensate the model uncertainties and disturbances in each helicopter and from its neighborhood. The UDE consists of a second-order auxiliary system and a discontinuous term, neither the measurement of angular velocity nor its asymptotic estimation is required. Convergence of the formation tracking error is analyzed using invariance-like theorems. It is also proved that the UDE term will converge to the actual uncertainties and disturbances. Simulation results show that, on a one-way communication topology which only contains one spanning tree, a group of four helicopters reaches the desired formation shape while tracking a given reference trajectory using proposed method.</p> </sec> </abstract>