Decentralized Formation Coordination of Multiple Quadcopters under Communication Constraints
Pramod Abichandani, Kyle Levin, Donald Bucci
Abstract
This paper addresses the problem of decentralized, outdoor formation coordination with multiple quadcopters. The problem is formulated as a receding horizon, mixed-integer non-linear program (RH-MINLP). Each quadcopter solves this RH-MINLP to generate its time-optimal speed profile along a minimum snap spline path while coordinating its position in a desired formation with other quadcopters. Constraints on quadcopter kinematics, dynamics, collision avoidance, wireless communication connectivity, and geometric formations are modeled. Communication connectivity is modeled as a constraint on maximum separation distance based on a minimum viable received signal strength in the presence of path loss attenuation. The resulting RH-MINLP is non-convex, and is solved using an outer-approximation branch and bound solver with a warm-starting scheme. The framework is validated via Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) and outdoor flight test with up to 6 quadcopters. Results demonstrate the effect of number of quadcopters and formation type on total transit time. Average radio packet loss statistics during transit indicate robust network performance for a round robin communication scheduling scheme.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{icra2019_decentralizedfor,
title = {Decentralized Formation Coordination of Multiple Quadcopters under Communication Constraints},
author = {Pramod Abichandani and Kyle Levin and Donald Bucci},
booktitle = {ICRA 2019},
year = {2019}
}