Adaptive Leader–Follower Formation for Unmanned Surface Vehicles Subject to Output Constraints

This paper addresses the leader–follower formation control strategy for unmanned surface vehicles with model uncertainties. First, to achieve the desired formation configuration, the line-of-sight (LOS) scheme is incorporated in the guidance design. The constraints of LOS range and angle are required to meet the connectivity maintenance and collision avoidance. Tan-type time-varying Barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) is applied to address the output constraints. Next, in the formation control design, bioinspired models are combined with backstepping techniques to achieve less calculation. Adaptive fuzzy control approach is developed to deal with the uncertainties of marine vessels due to their superior approximation capability. Finally, the uniform ultimate boundedness of all signals can be guaranteed via stability analysis. Simulation examples are carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the theoretical results.