Cooperative Control of Multiple UAVs for Source Seeking
This paper considers the problem of unknown scalar field source seeking using multiple UAVs subject to input constraints. In this problem, each UAV can only measure the scalar field value at its current location. In order to seek the scalar field source, cooperation of multiple UAVs is carried out by adopting a leader-follower formation strategy. A least squares method is introduced to estimate the gradient of the scalar field at the leader UAV location based on the measurements of all UAVs. By using the estimated gradient, this paper proposes a guidance law for the heading of the leader UAV, and a sliding mode based heading rate controller is designed for the leader UAV to follow the desired heading angle. Furthermore, a heading rate controller is developed for each follower UAV to achieve circular formation around the leader UAV. Finally, simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
cooperative control uav source seeking input constraints