Fractional-Order Multi-agent Formation Using Distributed NMPC Design with Obstacles and Collision Avoidance and Connectivity Maintenance

• Published in: Journal of control, automation & electrical systems Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 265 - 275
• Main Authors: Aazam Manesh, Farshid, Pourgholi, Mahdi, Amini Boroujeni, Elham
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-04-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Barriers; Collision avoidance; Control; Control and Systems Theory; Control systems design; Controllers; Electrical Engineering; Engineering; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Mechatronics; Multiagent systems; Nonlinear control; Optimization; Predictive control; Robotics; Robotics and Automation; Fractional-order system; Connectivity maintenance; Distributed predictive control; Multi-agent formation; Collision, obstacles avoidance
• ISSN: 2195-3880; 2195-3899
• DOI: 10.1007/s40313-022-00966-3

This paper addresses distributed nonlinear model predictive controller design for formation control of agents with fractional-order dynamics (DNMPC-FCFO) in the presence of obstacles. By introducing new constraints, the collisions between non-neighboring agents are avoided while there is no need to use the information of non-neighboring agents. Moreover, by applying contractive constraints in our optimization problem the Lyapunov stability is guaranteed. Since in parallel DMPC method contraction occurred only on first two steps, the use of terminal components that are essential parts of conventional MPC to create stability is eliminated. These components usually complicate the design and are often used for low-end systems. Using fractional-order equations often leads to mathematical models capable of better describing experimental behavior, but due to memory effects, the controller design is usually more complex. The mathematical stability proof is provided in this regard. In the proposed scheme, considering limited communication range in mobile robots, the controller is designed to preserve the network connectivity. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.