Robust discrete-time super twisting formation protocol for a 6-DOF Quadcopter swarm

This paper contains a discrete-time higher-order sliding mode control for achieving the formation of a 6-Degrees of Freedom (DOF) Quadcopter swarm using the concept of a discrete Multi-agent system (DMAS). A graph theory is used to represent the communication between the Quadcopters and a leader-follower approach of DMAS is used to design the discrete super-twisting (DST) protocol for the formation of a 6-DOF Quadcopter swarm. The DST protocol not only ensures robustness but also reduces the convergence time and the chattering during the formation process of Quadcopters in a swarm. The stability condition of the formation is also derived using the Lyapunov function. The protocol is validated for the formation of 5 Quadcopters in the given pattern. The simulation results show that the formation is achieved in a finite time. Further to show the efficacy of the DST formation protocol, the results are compared with the first-order discrete-time sliding mode controllers designed by switching type reaching law and non-switching type of reaching law. As the first-order discrete-time sliding mode controllers have a significant amount of quasi-sliding mode band (QSMB) in the sliding surface during the operations, the DST protocol of higher-order discrete-time sliding mode control is preferred. From the comparative analysis, it is inferred that the DST protocol performs better for the formation of a 6-DOF Quadcopter swarm.