Leader-follower formation control of mobile nonholonomic robots via a new observer-based controller
Mohamed F. Hassan, Mohammad Hammuda
Abstract
In this paper, a novel observer-based control approach is developed to handle leader-follower formation control of multiple nonholonomic mobile robots. Unlike other available techniques, the proposed formation control strategy can be implemented online without the need to pre-specify the trajectories to be tracked, but only the desired location at the next instant of time. Such an approach permits the system to track formation protocols made of multiple complicated trajectories, and allows the designer to change the trajectories on-line according to the surrounding environment. The estimation part of the proposed approach is conducted using the newly developed smoothed regularised least-squares observer. This observer provides highly accurate predicted state estimates that are essential in generating the desired control strategy. The stability of the proposed observer-based controller is analysed. Simulation results of a formation consisting of a leader and two followers are presented to show the effectiveness and applicability of the developed approach.