Fully distributed dynamic event-triggered formation-containment control for networked unmanned surface vehicles with intermittent wireless network communications
Zhen Zhang, Bing Huang, Xiaotao Zhou, Hua Peng
Abstract
Favorable neighboring interactions and economical transmission costs are the foundations of formation-containment control (FCC), while the complex marine environments hamper its expansion on networked unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). In this context, this paper investigates an intermittent dynamic event-triggered control scheme for USVs experiencing communication interruptions to achieve FCC. Specifically, the control architecture consists of two synchronously working sub-layers. In the first layer, an intermittent communications-based formation tracking controller is initially developed to endow USVs with higher endurance against communication interruptions, such that the leader USVs can form a desired formation pattern while following a virtual leader. Meanwhile, a dynamic event-triggered mechanism (DETM) is incorporated into the intermittent controller to reduce the update frequency of control signals with computable minimum inter-event time (MIET). Similarly, an intermittent DETM-based controller is proposed for followers to achieve containment missions in the second layer. Moreover, the global information is unnecessary with time-varying control gains. Finally, the simulations are provided to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control scheme.