Control of Helicopters’ Formation Using Non-Iterative Nonlinear Model Predictive Approach

A non-iterative Nonlinear Model Predictive Controller (NMPC) for formation control of helicopters is proposed and validated through simulations. The method is based on minimizing the error of geometrical formation parameters specifically designed for helicopters. These parameters are used to form desired three-dimensional (3D) configurations among members of a helicopter group. This approach is tested for both initializing and maintaining the desired formation. Also, simulation has been conducted considering the presence of environmental disturbances and model uncertainties. Compared to the similar approaches, the method has a substantially smaller computational cost. In addition, it is shown that unlike the conventional NMPC optimization methods, the presented framework does not require any iteration. This method inherently possesses the same computational cost for all the time steps throughout the whole time period of the flight scenario. These features make this framework a suitable choice for implementation for formation control of helicopter groups.