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Leader-Follower Power-based Formation Control Applied to Differential-drive Mobile Robots

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Abstract

This work studies the power-based formation control for a set of differential-drive mobile robots, as an extension of the traditional distance-based formation control schemes. The possible measurements of the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) coupled with the non-omnidirectional radiation pattern shape of their antennas are used as a feedback signal. Due to the non-holonomic restriction in the kinematic model, a switched control scheme is designed with two control laws avoiding singularities and a smooth transition between the control inputs. The approach is the base for the coverage control needed for mobile sensor networks where the wireless nodes installed at the top of the robots must converge to desired power level values. Also, the RSSI measurement can be considered as an alternative to inter-robot distances avoiding the use of traditional sensors like LiDAR or onboard cameras. The approach is validated by an experimental setup.

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Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México through the research funds DINVP-025 and DINVP-051.

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Departamento de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de Mexico, Prolongacion Paseo de la Reforma 880, Mexico City, 01229, Mexico, Mexico

      A. G. Sanchez-Sanchez & G. Fernandez-Anaya

    2. Instituto de Investigación Aplicada y Tecnología, Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de Mexico, Prolongacion Paseo de la Reforma 880, Mexico City, 01229, Mexico, Mexico

      E. G. Hernandez-Martinez & M. Ramírez-Neria

    3. Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería Campus Hidalgo, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Carretera Pachuca-Actopan Kilómetro 1 + 500, Distrito de Educación, Salud, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, San Agustín Tlaxiaca, 42162, Hidalgo, Mexico

      J. González-Sierra

    4. Departamento de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Av. 8 de octubre 2738, Montevideo, 11600, Montevideo, Uruguay

      J. J. Flores-Godoy

    5. Departamento de Ingeniería, Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Av. 8 de octubre 2738, Montevideo, 11600, Montevideo, Uruguay

      E. D. Ferreira-Vazquez

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    1. A. G. Sanchez-Sanchez
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    2. E. G. Hernandez-Martinez
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    Contributions

    All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and experimental results were performed by Andrea Gabriela Sanchez-Sanchez. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Andrea Gabriela Sanchez-Sanchez, Eduardo Gamaliel Hernandez-Martinez and Jaime González-Sierra and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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    Correspondence to J. González-Sierra.

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    E. G. Hernandez-Martinez, J. González-Sierra, M. Remírez-Neria J. J. Flores-Godoy, E. D. Ferreira-Vazquez and G. Fernandez-Anaya are contributed equally to this work.

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    Sanchez-Sanchez, A.G., Hernandez-Martinez, E.G., González-Sierra, J. et al. Leader-Follower Power-based Formation Control Applied to Differential-drive Mobile Robots. J Intell Robot Syst 107, 6 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-022-01796-w

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