Consensus-based virtual leader tracking algorithm for flight formation control of swarm UAVs

Abstract

Technological developments in industrial areas also impact unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Recent improvements in both software and hardware have significantly increased the use of many UAVs in social and military fields. In particular, the widespread use of these vehicles in social areas such as entertainment, shipping, transportation, and delivery and military areas such as surveillance, tracking, and offensive measures has accelerated the research on swarm systems. This study examined the previous investigations on swarm UAVs and aimed to create a more efficient algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm was compared with other leader -based applications. A swarm consisting of 5 UAVs scattered throughout the environment was directed to a fixed altitude using a gathering algorithm. Afterward, a virtual leader was added to the swarm and moved toward the target point by maintaining the flight formation with the consensus -based virtual leader tracking algorithm (CBVLTA). Unlike leader -based applications, where leader or member failure is not taken into account, here, in the event that a random number of UAVs crash and their communication is broken in different scenarios, a new formation shape is created and a flight is made to the target point. The swarm performs the determined formation flight with an error rate below 2% throughout its movement. If the error rate equals or exceeds 2%, push -and -pull functions are applied between members and the error is reduced below 2%. Thus, the results show that the proposed algorithm allows robust and flexible swarm structures against the distortions in topology caused by external factors. In this way, swarm applications such as area coverage, target tracking or detection, collision avoidance, and defense or attack can be performed.