OBSERVER-BASED FEEDBACK CONTROL FOR STABILIZATION OF COLLECTIVE MOTION

Abstract

Multi-vehicle control has applications in weather monitoring and ocean sampling. Previous work in this field has produced theoretically justified algorithms for stabilization of parallel and circular motions of self-propelled Newtonian particles using measurements of relative position and relative velocity. This paper describes an observer-based feedback control algorithm for stabilization of parallel and circular motions using measurements of relative position only. The algorithm utilizes information about vehicle dynamics and turning rates to estimate relative velocity. Theoretical justification is provided for the vehicle model, and numerical simulations suggest that the algorithm extends to a three-dimensional rigid body model. The algorithm has been implemented on a laboratory-scale underwater vehicle testbed, and we describe the results of experimental validation in the University of Maryland's Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility.