Adaptive sliding mode controller based consensus protocol for swarm of UAVs
Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology
ISSN: 0002-2667
Article publication date: 10 October 2022
Issue publication date: 14 February 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The requirement of robust cooperative control is essential to achieve consensus between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating in swarm formation. Often the performance of these swarm formations is affected by wind gust disturbances. This study proposes an effective robust consensus protocol, which will ensure the UAVs in swam formation to collectively meet the desired objective in real-time scenario.
Design/methodology/approach
In this work, the swarm of UAVs are modeled as multiagent systems by using the concepts of algebraic graph theory. To address the challenges of a complex and dynamic environment, an adaptive sliding mode control (SMC)-based consensus protocol is proposed. The closed loop stability analysis is established through Lyapunov theory.
Findings
The efficacy of the discussed robust consensus controller is analyzed through numerical simulations. Further, the quantitative analysis using Monte-Carlo simulations validates performance of the proposed robust consensus protocol. The presented consensus protocol can be easily implementable as robust flight controller for swarm of UAVs. Also, as the consensus theory is based on the algebraic graph theory, the proposed design is scalable for a large number of UAVs in swarm formation.
Originality/value
The proposed adaptive SMC achieves robust consensus of longitudinal dynamics states between all the UAVs by mitigating the effects of wind gust disturbances. Also, the adaptive SMC offers chattering-free control efforts.
Keywords
Citation
Dixit, A., Agrawal, P. and Misra, A. (2023), "Adaptive sliding mode controller based consensus protocol for swarm of UAVs", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 95 No. 4, pp. 619-628. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-12-2021-0371
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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