Fixed-time sliding mode estimator-based distributed formation control for multiple nonholonomic mobile robots

This paper proposes a fixed-time estimator-based distributed formation controller for a system consisting of multiple nonholonomic mobile robots, taking into consideration the stability of individuals and the effectiveness of internal communication. The desired trajectory of the formation is given by the virtual leader whose state is available only to some followers, and the information interaction within the followers is localized. To begin with, a distributed fixed-time sliding mode estimator is designed for each follower to estimate the state information of the virtual leader within a fixed time. Subsequently, based on the estimator, a formation controller is designed according to the trajectory tracking error of each follower. In addition, the Lyapunov function is constructed for stability analysis. Finally, simulation experiments are conducted in MATLAB/Simulink to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed estimator and controller, and the robustness of the control system is further verified by combining the actual situation of communication interruption and external disturbance.