Leader-Follower

Problem Statement

Leader-follower architectures simplify coordination by assigning one trajectory source and distributed tracking controllers for followers.

Model and Formulation

Follower error in leader frame:

$$ e_i = p_i - (p_L + \Delta_i) $$

Control law:

$$ u_i = -K_p e_i - K_d \dot{e}_i $$

Practical Notes

• Robust leader estimation is critical for formation stability.
• Follower chain topologies are simple but vulnerable to upstream failure.
• Relative-sensing noise can cause accordion oscillations.

Implementation and Execution

python -m uav_sim.simulations.swarm.leader_follower

Evidence

References

• Desai et al., Modeling and Control of Formations of Nonholonomic Mobile Robots (2001)
• Oh, Park, Ahn, Survey of Multi-Agent Formation Control (2015)

Related Algorithms

• Virtual Structure
• Consensus Formation