Backstepping control design for UAV formation with input saturation constraint and model uncertainty

The novel backstepping control schemes are proposed to deal with the formation control problem of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with input saturation constraint and model uncertainty. The trajectory tracking error model of the multiple UAVs formation is established. Then the standard ideal backstepping formation controller, which is applied to address the case with certain model and no input saturation constraint, is presented. After that, an adaptive backstepping controller associated with the designed command filter is developed to overcome input saturation constraint and model uncertainty. The controllers above enable the asymptotical Lyapunov stability of the closed-loop system. Numerical simulation results show that the proposed approaches are effective for the formation control of the UAV system.