Connectivity-maintaining and collision-avoiding performance function approach for robust leader–follower formation control of multiple uncertain underactuated surface vessels

Abstract

A robust leader–follower formation tracking design using connectivity-maintaining and collision-avoiding performance functions is developed for multiple uncertain underactuated surface vessels (USVs). It is assumed that the USVs communicate within limited ranges and all nonlinearities of the USV dynamics are completely unknown. Compared with the related literature, two primary contributions of this paper are to derive connectivity-maintaining and collision-avoiding performance functions for designing a robust formation tracking scheme using only relative state information and to establish an obstacle avoidance strategy guaranteeing the connectivity between the leader and the followers while avoiding an obstacle. Based on the Lyapunov stability theorem, the predesignated formation tracking performance and stability of the proposed control system have been analyzed without using potential-like functions and function approximation techniques. Simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical result. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd