Consensus based formation control strategies for multi-vehicle systems

In this paper we first introduce a fundamental consensus algorithm for systems modeled by second-order dynamics. We then apply variants of the consensus algorithm to tackle formation control problems by appropriately choosing information states on which consensus is reached. Even in the absence of centralized leadership, the consensus based formation control strategies can guarantee accurate formation maintenance in the general case that information flow is unidirectional. We also show that existing leader-follower, behavioral, and virtual structure/virtual leader formation control approaches can be unified in the general framework of consensus building. A multi-vehicle formation control example is shown in simulation to illustrate our strategies.