Distributed 3D Leader-Follower Formation Control with Field-of-View Safety via Control Barrier Functions

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Santjoko, Immanuel R., Suganda, Richie R., Pan, Miao, Hu, Bin
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
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author Santjoko, Immanuel R.
Suganda, Richie R.
Pan, Miao
Hu, Bin
author_facet Santjoko, Immanuel R.
Suganda, Richie R.
Pan, Miao
Hu, Bin
contents This letter proposes a distributed 3D leader-follower formation (3D-LFF) control framework for multi-UAV systems that achieves formation tracking while enforcing perception safety constraints. Maintaining safe, vision-based 3D-LFF is challenging because onboard cameras impose strict Field-of-View (FOV) limitations, and demanding formation commands can drive the leader outside the follower's camera frustum, resulting in loss of visibility. To address this issue, we develop a perception-aware safe control architecture that guarantees visibility by construction. First, we derive a relative kinematic model in a line-of-sight coordinate representation and design a distributed 3D-LFF tracking controller using only locally available relative states. Next, we embed the nominal formation controller within a Control Barrier Function-based Quadratic Program (CBF-QP) safety filter that minimally modifies the commanded velocities to maintain the leader inside the follower's camera frustum while preserving formation tracking whenever feasible. Gazebo simulations and Crazyflie hardware experiments validate the proposed approach, demonstrating accurate formation tracking and effective FOV enforcement, including scenarios in which the nominal desired formation conflicts with visibility constraints.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_17533
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Distributed 3D Leader-Follower Formation Control with Field-of-View Safety via Control Barrier Functions
Santjoko, Immanuel R.
Suganda, Richie R.
Pan, Miao
Hu, Bin
Systems and Control
Robotics
This letter proposes a distributed 3D leader-follower formation (3D-LFF) control framework for multi-UAV systems that achieves formation tracking while enforcing perception safety constraints. Maintaining safe, vision-based 3D-LFF is challenging because onboard cameras impose strict Field-of-View (FOV) limitations, and demanding formation commands can drive the leader outside the follower's camera frustum, resulting in loss of visibility. To address this issue, we develop a perception-aware safe control architecture that guarantees visibility by construction. First, we derive a relative kinematic model in a line-of-sight coordinate representation and design a distributed 3D-LFF tracking controller using only locally available relative states. Next, we embed the nominal formation controller within a Control Barrier Function-based Quadratic Program (CBF-QP) safety filter that minimally modifies the commanded velocities to maintain the leader inside the follower's camera frustum while preserving formation tracking whenever feasible. Gazebo simulations and Crazyflie hardware experiments validate the proposed approach, demonstrating accurate formation tracking and effective FOV enforcement, including scenarios in which the nominal desired formation conflicts with visibility constraints.
title Distributed 3D Leader-Follower Formation Control with Field-of-View Safety via Control Barrier Functions
topic Systems and Control
Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.17533