Distributed adaptive neural networks leader-following formation control for quadrotors with directed switching topologies

The leader-following formation problem is discussed for a team of quadrotors under directed switching topologies. To obtain a more general dynamic model, we describe the quadrotor system in a non-affine pure-feedback form with mismatched unknown nonlinearities. By employing an adaptive neural networks state observer to approximate the unknown nonlinear functions and to reconstruct the immeasurable inner states, we propose a novel distributed output feedback formation control protocol with the backstepping method combining with the dynamic surface control technique. From the Lyapunov stability theorem, all signals in the closed-loop formation system are proven to be cooperatively semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded for any given bounded initial conditions. Finally, we proved that we verify the performance of the proposed formation control approach by a simulation study. (C) 2019 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.