Fault-Tolerant Cooperative Control for Multiple Vehicle Systems Based on Topology Reconfiguration

In this article, the fault-tolerant synchronization and time-varying tracking control problem is investigated for nonlinear multivehicle systems (MVSs) in the presence of partial loss-of-control-effectiveness (LoCE) faults. Based on the graph theory, a two-level fault-tolerant cooperative control framework is proposed, namely, the low-level distributed nominal control scheme and the high-level topology reconfiguration protocols. The low-level scheme is developed to guarantee system performances in the fault-free scenario. With the low-level scheme, the high-level topology reconfiguration protocols, each of which corresponds to one partial LoCE fault scenario, are then proposed to mitigate the fault impact by adjusting the underlying topology. Accordingly, without modifying the structure or the design parameter of the low-level control scheme, the proposed framework can guarantee the synchronization and tracking errors of the MVS asymptotically convergent to zero in both fault-free and fault scenarios. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control method is verified via a simulation study of three degree-of-freedom helicopters.

Automated summary

This article investigates the fault-tolerant synchronization and time-varying tracking control problem for nonlinear multivehicle systems in the presence of partial loss-of-control-effectiveness faults. A two-level fault-tolerant cooperative control framework is proposed, based on graph theory. The low-level distributed nominal control scheme guarantees system performances in the fault-free scenario, while the high-level topology reconfiguration protocols mitigate the fault impact by adjusting the underlying topology. The proposed framework ensures asymptotic convergence to zero of synchronization and tracking errors for the multivehicle systems in both fault-free and fault scenarios without modifying the structure or design parameter of the low-level control scheme.