Receding horizon tracking control of unicycle-type robots based on virtual structure

This paper considers the receding horizon tracking control of the unicycle-type robot subject to coupled input constraint based on virtual structure. The tracking position of the follower is considered to be a virtual structure point with respect to a Frenet–Serret frame fixed on the leader, and the desired control input of the follower not only depend on the input of the leader but also the separation vector. Firstly, a sufficient input condition for the leader robot is given to enable the follower to track its desired position while satisfying its inputs constraint. Secondly, receding horizon control scheme is designed for the follower robot, in which the recursive feasibility is guaranteed by developing a diamond-shaped positively invariant terminal-state region and its corresponding controller. Finally, simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the scheme proposed.