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Multi-UAV Specification and Control with a Single Pilot-in-the-Loop

Patricio Moreno

LAR-GPSIC - Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Paseo, Colón 850, CABA, Argentina

E-mail Address: pamoreno@fi.uba.ar

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Santiago Esteva

LAR-GPSIC - Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Paseo, Colón 850, CABA, Argentina

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Ignacio Mas

LAR-GPSIC - Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Paseo, Colón 850, CABA, Argentina

Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones, Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina

Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Av. Eduardo Madero 399, CABA, Argentina

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, and

Juan I. Giribet

LAR-GPSIC - Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Paseo, Colón 850, CABA, Argentina

Instituto Argentino de Matemática, “Alberto Calderón” (IAM), Saavedra 15, CABA, Argentina

Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones, Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S230138502050020XCited by:3 (Source: Crossref)

This article is part of the issue:

Special Issue for Selected Papers from IMAV 2019
Guest Editors: Pascual Campoy, Paloma de la Puente, Hriday Bavle and Adrian Carrio

Abstract

This work presents a multi-unmanned aerial vehicle formation implementing a trajectory-following controller based on the cluster-space robot coordination method. The controller is augmented with a feed-forward input from a control station operator. This teleoperation input is generated by means of a remote control, as a simple way of modifying the trajectory or taking over control of the formation during flight. The cluster-space formulation presents a simple specification of the system’s motion and, in this work, the operator benefits from this capability to easily evade obstacles by means of controlling the cluster parameters in real time. The proposed augmented controller is tested in a simulated environment first, and then deployed for outdoor field experiments. Results are shown in different scenarios using a cluster of three autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles.

This paper was recommended for publication in its revised form by editorial board member, Pascual Campoy.

Keywords:

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