Distributed event-triggered formation control of multiple USVs with collision avoidance and connectivity preservation
[Objective]In order to realize formation control for multiple unmanned surface vehicles(USVs)subject to practical needs,a distributed event-triggered formation control method for multiple USVs is pro-posed which is capable of ensuring collision avoidance and connectivity preservation.[Methods]Consider-ing the disturbances caused by marine environments and the uncertainties of system models,a disturbance ob-server is designed.Aiming to avoid potential collisions and the loss of connectivity among USVs during the process of realizing the desired formations,artificial potential field functions are utilized to design a controller with collision avoidance and connectivity preservation abilities.To reduce the frequency of control updates,a distributed event-triggering mechanism is designed for each USV,enabling it to determine the execution time of its own control input based on local information.[Results]Theoretical analysis proves the uniform ulti-mate boundedness of formation errors,and the event-triggered mechanism does not display Zeno behaviors.The simulation results validate that the proposed control method can significantly reduce the number of con-troller updates and prevent collisions among USVs while maintaining their connectivity.[Conclusion]The results of this study can help to ensure the safe formation control of USVs and reduce the wear and tear of con-trol devices.