Cooperative game theory based multi-UAV consensus-based formation control

This paper presents a cooperative differential game theory approach to designing a consensus-based formation control strategy for multi-UAVs (agents). The consensus-based formation control problem is defined as a tracking task where the states of each agent must follow a given reference. Position states are given as fixed offsets between each agent to achieve a formation, whilst velocity and attitude should be identical amongst agents to archive consensus. Using a cooperative game theory based approach, each agent acts to reduce the weighted team cost to reach consensus. The control strategy design is based on open-loop design, closed-loop design, and a semi-open-loop design concept to better account for different hardware configurations. The control approach is validated via simulations to show how cooperative game theory based consensus formation control can outperform non-cooperative game theory control and general optimal control with respect to reducing formation deviation. The semi-open loop design is proven to be suitable for practical applications.