Autonomous Formation Control on Non-Convex Closed Shapes
Midshipman Researcher(s): 1/C Nate Hersom
Adviser(s): Assoc. Professor Levi DeVries
Poster #95
Most Ground Control Station (GCS) mission planners provide users simple waypoints and elementary shapes (squares, circles) for autonomous missions. This is insufficient for non-convex shapes that may contain hundreds of points. This project simplifies mission design by allowing users to draw specific trajectories for autonomous vehicles. We reconstruct the user shape with a finite number of Fourier descriptor coefficients. The coefficients define the trajectory of a relative reference frame; traversing a circle in the relative frame produces the desired inertial frame trajectory. We use Lyapunov Guidance Vector Field control to steer vehicles to the required circle in the relative frame.
