Robust coverage control of multiple USVs with time-varying disturbances

Abstract

This paper investigates the problem of optimal coverage control for multiple unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) in the presence of time-varying disturbances. To solve this problem, the disturbance vector observer is designed to approximate the unknown time-varying disturbances. It is demonstrated that the estimated disturbance vector converges to the actual disturbance vector within a finite time. To achieve the optimal coverage effect of the task region, the control idea of layer-by-layer design is borrowed, and the desired velocities of the USV are designed. By following the desired velocities, the USV network can achieve the optimal coverage effect of the task region. Based on the estimated disturbances, a robust coverage controller is designed to achieve the tracking of desired velocities by the USV within a finite time, ultimately achieving optimal coverage effect of the task region by the USV network. Finally, corresponding simulation results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Keywords

Coverage control / disturbance observation / multiple unmanned surface vehicles / finite time control