Collision-Free Bearing-Driven Formation Tracking for Euler-Lagrange Systems

2025-08-13

AI Summary

This paper addresses the bearing-only collision-free formation tracking problem for heterogeneous Euler–Lagrange systems under multiple mobile leaders. Challenges include unknown system parameters, access only to relative bearing measurements (no distance or global positioning), and time-varying communication topologies. To tackle these, we propose a distributed bearing-only observer for leader state estimation without range measurements, and an adaptive cooperative controller that requires no prior knowledge of system dynamics. The controller integrates a bearing-based consensus protocol with nonlinear stability analysis, yielding a sufficient condition for collision avoidance dependent on initial formation configuration. Simulation results demonstrate precise formation tracking, guaranteed inter-agent collision avoidance throughout the trajectory, and strong robustness against uncertainties and topology switching. The approach significantly advances the theoretical foundations of distributed cooperative control relying solely on bearing-only sensing.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: State Estimation
• Multiagent Systems: Coordination and Collaboration
• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Distributed CSP/Optimization

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Security and Privacy: Tracking, profiling, and countermeasures against them
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Federated recommendation systems and personalization

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the problem of tracking formations driven by bearings for heterogeneous Euler-Lagrange systems with parametric uncertainty in the presence of multiple moving leaders. To estimate the leaders' velocities and accelerations, we first design a distributed observer for the leader system, utilizing a bearing-based localization condition in place of the conventional connectivity assumption. This observer, coupled with an adaptive mechanism, enables the synthesis of a novel distributed control law that guides the formation towards the target formation, without requiring prior knowledge of the system parameters. Furthermore, we establish a sufficient condition, dependent on the initial formation configuration, that ensures collision avoidance throughout the formation evolution. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through a numerical example.

Problem

• Tracking formations for Euler-Lagrange systems with uncertainty
• Estimating leaders' velocities and accelerations without connectivity
• Ensuring collision avoidance during formation evolution

Innovation

• Distributed observer for leader velocity estimation
• Adaptive control law without system parameters knowledge
• Collision avoidance via initial formation condition