Practical formation-containment tracking for multiple autonomous surface vessels system

Abstract

Practical formation-containment tracking issues for the multiple autonomous surface vessels system with multiple leader vessels are considered. The follower vessels' states are designed to track the convex combination of the leader vessels' states, which are required to actualise the predefined time-varying formation tracking. Firstly, this study establishes the dynamic models of the multiple vessels system, where the outer-loop kinematic model and inner-loop dynamic model are considered simultaneously. Then, the practical formation-containment tracking protocols are devised based on distributed extended state observers, where the mismatched uncertainties and leader vessels' control input signals are estimated and compensated. Thirdly, an algorithm is presented to give the procedures for designing the control protocols, in which the feasible time-varying formations of leader's vessels are raised. A series of linear matrix inequalities are solved for obtaining the control parameters. Sufficient conditions for actualising the practical formation-containment tracking are derived. Finally, numerical simulation results reveal the effectiveness of the acquired theories.