Switching formation shape control with distance + area/angle feedback

Abstract A well known problem with distance-based formation control is the existence of multiple equilibrium points not associated with the desired formation. This problem can be mitigated by introducing an additional controlled variable. In this paper, we consider distance + area (or angle) schemes for 2D formations of single-integrator agents. By using directed graphs and triangulation of the n -agent formation, we introduce switching control laws that ensure the asymptotic stability of the desired formation for almost all initial agent positions. The state-dependent switching strategy is designed to force the formation to escape the subspaces of the incorrect equilibria. The switching strategy also allows us to remove restrictions on the shape of the desired formation that were present in previous results.

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