Cooperative control systems of searching targets using unmanned blimps

Abstract

The cooperative control of multiple unmanned blimps poses significant theoretical and technical challenges. In this paper, a cooperative control system is presented to search for targets by using unmanned blimps, and the conceptual system is built with two blimps and the base station. We discuss the software structure in the base station computer, and the blimp dynamic models are expressed in the form suited for controller design. A control strategy is proposed, and Lyapunov stability theory is used to guarantee that sliding mode controllers make asymptotic system stability. A set of simulation studies is done, and the simulation results show that the system can work cooperatively and effectively.