An UGV Swarm Formation Reconfiguration Method with Space-time Constraints

This study proposes a framework for formation reconfiguration of unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) swarm with space-time constraints. The graph theory method was used to describe the coordination relationship of swarm, and the swarm reconfiguration problem was decomposed into the formation transformation problem of the minimum transformation unit. To meet the space constraints of the formation transformation, the study used the model-based predictive path generation algorithm to produce the travelable path that satisfies the initial and final constrains for the UGV. The curve interpolation method was used to create a speed curve that connects the initial and final state smoothly and meets the time constraints. The boundary conditions of speed planning were then proposed based on the collision detection results. Both simulation analysis and vehicle experiments were performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed swarm reconfiguration method. Copyright © 2020 by Science Press.