Formation Control Using Vehicle Operational Envelopes and Behavior-Based Dual-Mode Model Predictive Control

Abstract

This thesis presents a control framework for formation control. Given an initial desired trajectory, a framework is presented to generate trajectories for each vehicle within the formation. When combined with an operational envelope, a designated area for each vehicle to maneuver, for each vehicle the multi-vehicle formation control problem can be redefined into a single vehicle problem. A single vehicle framework is presented to track the respective trajectory when possible, or stay near it when it passes through previously unknown obstacles. Arc-based motions are used to rapidly produce desirable robot controls while a trajectory tracking motion is used to ensure that the vehicle tracks the trajectory when it is obstacle free. The resulting formation control framework is illustrated through a real-time simulation with trajectories passing through obstacles. The simulated robot is able to seamlessly balance tracking with obstacle avoidance