Coordinated control of agent formations in uncertain, dynamic environments

This paper describes a framework for the motion coordination of networked vehicle systems. This framework is grounded on the UC Berkeley experience in the design, implementation and demonstration of control and communication systems for networked vehicles for land, sea and air applications. In this process we have developed a perspective on bringing together technological developments, theoretical underpinnings, and computational tools for the design and implementation of networked semiautonomous and autonomous vehicles. The motion co-ordination of independent modules that form the Mobile Offshore Base is used as a case study to pinpoint some general characteristics of vehicle formations. A classification of vehicle motion control problems is presented with emphasis on the properties of networked vehicle systems that are useful in our framework. The framework is then developed in terms of agent formations, and organisation of agent formation control encompassing trajectory generation for agent formations, stability and control of individual agents, and supervisory control.