Follow the Leader: Formation Control of Multiple Autonomous Vehicles Using Forward Looking Sonar

摘要

With the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) taking place in full force, autonomous vehicles have become a major asset to government forces. Expansion of single vehicle technology to multiple vehicle technology is required in order for the United States to stay ahead of its adversaries in the GWOT and other technological fields (such as oceanography). Multiple vehicle technology has been explored by many different institutions in the recent past (Leonard, 2001 and Kucik, 2003). Expansion of this technology will lead to greater autonomy and robustness amongst the vehicles. This thesis presents a simulation of a 'follow the leader' behavior for multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). The follower vehicle incorporates the use of forward-looking sonar to track the leader vehicle. This process will free up bandwidth between acoustic modems; allowing data transfer to occur with greater efficiency. Hydrodynamic coefficients are used to develop steering equations that model REMUS through a track of specified waypoints similar to a real-world mission track. A two- dimensional forward looking sonar model with a 120 deg horizontal scan and a 110 meter radial range is modeled to track the leader vehicle. Resulting bearing and range between the two vehicles is incorporated as control for positioning the follower vehicle.