Bearing-only formation control with auxiliary distance measurements, leaders, and collision avoidance

We address the controller synthesis problem for distributed formation control. Our solution requires only relative bearing measurements (as opposed to full translations), and is based on the exact gradient of a Lyapunov function with only global minimizers (independently from the formation topology). These properties allow a simple proof of global asymptotic convergence, and extensions for including distance measurements, leaders and collision avoidance. We validate our approach through simulations and comparison with other stateof-the-art algorithms.

[1]  Brian D. O. Anderson,et al.  UAV Formation Control: Theory and Application , 2008, Recent Advances in Learning and Control.

[2]  Soon-Jo Chung,et al.  Decentralized Model Predictive Control of Swarms of Spacecraft Using Sequential Convex Programming , 2013 .

[3]  Camillo J. Taylor,et al.  A vision-based formation control framework , 2002, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[4]  Li Wang,et al.  Control Barrier Certificates for Safe Swarm Behavior , 2015, ADHS.

[5]  Vijay Kumar,et al.  Cooperative localization and control for multi-robot manipulation , 2001, Proceedings 2001 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Expanding the Societal Role of Robotics in the the Next Millennium (Cat. No.01CH37180).

[6]  Robert E. Mahony,et al.  Convergence of the Iterates of Descent Methods for Analytic Cost Functions , 2005, SIAM J. Optim..

[7]  Shiyu Zhao,et al.  Bearing Rigidity and Almost Global Bearing-Only Formation Stabilization , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control.

[8]  Richard M. Murray,et al.  DISTRIBUTED COOPERATIVE CONTROL OF MULTIPLE VEHICLE FORMATIONS USING STRUCTURAL POTENTIAL FUNCTIONS , 2002 .

[9]  Tucker R. Balch,et al.  Behavior-based formation control for multirobot teams , 1998, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[10]  Antonio Franchi,et al.  Decentralized motion control for cooperative manipulation with a team of networked mobile manipulators , 2016, 2016 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

[11]  Ronald C. Arkin,et al.  An Behavior-based Robotics , 1998 .

[12]  Walter Whiteley,et al.  Constraining Plane Configurations in Computer-Aided Design: Combinatorics of Directions and Lengths , 1999, SIAM J. Discret. Math..

[13]  Petros G. Voulgaris,et al.  Multi-objective control for multi-agent systems using Lyapunov-like barrier functions , 2013, 52nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control.

[14]  George J. Pappas,et al.  Leader-Follower Formations: Uncalibrated Vision-Based Localization and Control , 2007, Proceedings 2007 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[15]  Antonio Franchi,et al.  Modeling and Control of UAV Bearing Formations with Bilateral High-level Steering , 2012, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[16]  Yiguang Hong,et al.  Distributed formation control with relaxed motion requirements , 2015 .

[17]  Antonio Franchi,et al.  Rigidity Maintenance Control for Multi-Robot Systems , 2012, Robotics: Science and Systems.

[18]  Vijay Kumar,et al.  Dynamics, Control and Planning for Cooperative Manipulation of Payloads Suspended by Cables from Multiple Quadrotor Robots , 2013, Robotics: Science and Systems.

[19]  Vijay Kumar,et al.  Cooperative manipulation and transportation with aerial robots , 2009, Auton. Robots.

[20]  Brian D. O. Anderson,et al.  On frame and orientation localization for relative sensing networks , 2008, 2008 47th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control.

[21]  Francesco Bullo,et al.  On frame and orientation localization for relative sensing networks , 2013, Autom..

[22]  Kostas Daniilidis,et al.  An optimization approach to bearing-only visual homing with applications to a 2-D unicycle model , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

[23]  Tyler H. Summers,et al.  Control of triangle formations with a mix of angle and distance constraints , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Conference on Control Applications.

[24]  Dusan M. Stipanovic,et al.  Formation Control and Collision Avoidance for Multi-agent Non-holonomic Systems: Theory and Experiments , 2008, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[25]  Brian D. O. Anderson,et al.  Stabilization of rigid formations with direction-only constraints , 2011, IEEE Conference on Decision and Control and European Control Conference.

[26]  Steven M. LaValle,et al.  Simple and Efficient Algorithms for Computing Smooth, Collision-free Feedback Laws Over Given Cell Decompositions , 2009, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[27]  Adrian N. Bishop,et al.  A Very Relaxed Control Law for Bearing-Only Triangular Formation Control , 2011 .

[28]  Tong Heng Lee,et al.  Distributed control of angle-constrained circular formations using bearing-only measurements , 2012, 2013 9th Asian Control Conference (ASCC).

[29]  Nathan Michael,et al.  Vision-Based, Distributed Control Laws for Motion Coordination of Nonholonomic Robots , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[30]  Nathan Michael,et al.  Vision-based Localization and Control of Leader-Follower Formations , 2008 .

[31]  Vijay Kumar,et al.  Controlling formations of multiple mobile robots , 1998, Proceedings. 1998 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.98CH36146).

[32]  Mac Schwager,et al.  Kinematic multi-robot manipulation with no communication using force feedback , 2016, 2016 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

[33]  René Vidal,et al.  Distributed 3-D Localization of Camera Sensor Networks From 2-D Image Measurements , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control.

[34]  Robert E. Mahony,et al.  A port-Hamiltonian approach to formation control using bearing measurements and range observers , 2013, 52nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control.

[35]  Dimitra Panagou,et al.  Motion planning and collision avoidance using navigation vector fields , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

[36]  Tolga Eren,et al.  Formation shape control based on bearing rigidity , 2012, Int. J. Control.

[37]  Nicholas Roy,et al.  Construction of Cubic Structures with Quadrotor Teams , 2012 .

[38]  Giuseppe Loianno,et al.  Vision-Based Formation Control of Aerial Vehicles , 2014 .

[39]  Chao Ma,et al.  Distributed Consensus of Multiple Euler–Lagrange Systems Networked by Sampled-Data Information With Transmission Delays and Data Packet Dropouts , 2017, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering.

[40]  S. Shankar Sastry,et al.  Conflict resolution for air traffic management: a study in multiagent hybrid systems , 1998, IEEE Trans. Autom. Control..

[41]  Tyler H. Summers,et al.  Stabilization of stiff formations with a mix of direction and distance constraints , 2013, 2013 IEEE International Conference on Control Applications (CCA).