Formation Tracking Control using Virtual Structures and Deconfliction

The work in this paper addresses an approach to 3D formation tracking control based on virtual structures. In this approach, the virtual structure specifies the formation position of each vehicle, and virtual leaders are constructed ahead of each position for the vehicles to follow. The velocity of the virtual structure is assumed to be piecewise-constant to provide zero steady-state error. In order to prevent transients from leading to collisions, deconfliction techniques are applied. Analysis of stability and performance is given, and results are demonstrated in simulation