Cooperative Control Method and Device for Underwater Multi-Agent Formation

Abstract

This invention discloses a cooperative control method and apparatus for underwater multi-agent formations. The method includes: a lead agent accelerating in place to orbit and sending positioning signals to multiple follower agents at three time points when their positions are not on the same straight line; multiple follower agents acquiring their own positioning signals based on the received signals and broadcasting them, so that all agents can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signals to obtain a corresponding estimated topology map; the lead agent obtaining the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its own estimated topology map, and adjusting the lead agent's motion state to be located within the optimal positioning area to obtain the optimal estimated topology map; all agents dynamically adjusting based on the optimal estimated topology map and their previous estimated topology map to control all agents to maintain the optimal formation; thereby, the communication energy consumption between UUVs can be reduced, and dynamic positioning can be achieved in single-leader UUV mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of underwater acoustic communication and control technology, and in particular to a cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer device, and a cooperative control apparatus for underwater multi-agent formations. Background Technology

[0002] Among related technologies, with the development of underwater acoustic communication technology, UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles) have played a crucial role in marine environmental monitoring, marine resource development and utilization, and marine national defense security due to their advantages such as controllability, long endurance, and small size. However, as underwater missions become increasingly complex, multi-agent collaborative mission execution has become an inevitable path for UUV development. Due to underwater currents, near-water waves, and complex underwater communication environments, parallel and master-slave structures are traditionally used in underwater multi-agent collaborative mission execution. Compared with the parallel structure, the master-slave structure can balance positioning accuracy and equipment cost, and is therefore widely used.

[0003] In dynamic underwater environments, UUV swarms need to improve their self-localization frequency and accuracy, and update the positions of each UUV in the swarm in a timely manner. However, frequent self-localization operations consume a lot of energy and occupy a lot of network resources. How to achieve the highest cooperative localization accuracy in the shortest time and with the least performance cost is of theoretical research value. Current research mostly adopts methods such as extended Kalman filtering and hierarchical fusion localization, which have improved localization accuracy, but have high algorithm complexity, high communication cost, and long swarm structure initialization time. Due to the limitations of underwater acoustic signals, underwater communication has a large delay, and underwater acoustic localization poses a challenge to the timeliness and accuracy of swarm self-localization. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to at least partially solve one of the technical problems in the aforementioned technologies. To this end, one objective of this invention is to propose a cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations, which can reduce communication energy consumption between UUVs and achieve dynamic positioning in single-leader UUV mode.

[0005] A second objective of this invention is to provide a computer-readable storage medium.

[0006] The third objective of this invention is to provide a computer device.

[0007] The fourth objective of this invention is to provide a cooperative control device for underwater multi-agent formations.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, a first aspect of the present invention proposes a cooperative control method for an underwater multi-agent formation. The multi-agent formation includes a lead agent and multiple follower agents, each maintaining the same speed and operating on the same plane to form a fixed isoplanar formation. The cooperative control method includes the following steps: the lead agent accelerates in place to orbit and sends positioning signals to the multiple follower agents at three time points when their positions are not on the same straight line; each follower agent obtains its own positioning signal based on the three received positioning signals and broadcasts it, so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signals to obtain a corresponding estimated topology map; the lead agent obtains its optimal positioning area and corresponding area center based on its estimated topology map, and adjusts its motion state to position itself within the optimal positioning area to form an optimal estimated topology map; each agent dynamically adjusts itself based on the optimal estimated topology map and its previous estimated topology map to maintain the optimal formation.

[0009] According to the cooperative control method of underwater multi-agent formation according to embodiments of the present invention, firstly, the lead agent accelerates in place to orbit and send positioning signals to the multiple follower agents at three time points when their positions are not on the same straight line; then, each of the multiple follower agents obtains its own positioning signal based on the three received positioning signals and broadcasts it so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signals to obtain a corresponding estimated topology map; then, the lead agent obtains the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its own estimated topology map, and adjusts the movement state of the lead agent to be located within the optimal positioning area to form an optimal estimated topology map; finally, each agent dynamically adjusts itself based on the optimal estimated topology map and its previous estimated topology map to control all agents to maintain the optimal formation; thereby, the communication energy consumption between UUVs can be reduced, and dynamic positioning can be achieved in single-leader UUV mode.

[0010] In addition, the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations proposed in the above embodiments of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features:

[0011] Optionally, the navigating agent accelerates in place to perform a circular motion so as to send positioning signals to the multiple following agents at three time points when their positions are not on the same straight line. This includes: the navigating agent accelerates in place to perform a curved circular motion, and broadcasts three acoustic pulse messages containing its own position and attitude parameters to the multiple following agents via an underwater acoustic communication device at the start, middle, and end points of the curved circular motion. The attitude parameters include speed, yaw angle, and acceleration.

[0012] Optionally, each of the plurality of following agents obtains its own positioning signal based on the three received positioning signals and broadcasts it, so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signal to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map. This includes: after receiving the three acoustic pulse information, each of the plurality of following agents estimates its own world coordinates using a least squares algorithm, and broadcasts its own world coordinates and attitude parameters, so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the reception delay and velocity after receiving the broadcast signal to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map.

[0013] Optionally, the navigation agent obtains the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its estimated topology map, including: the navigation agent groups the coordinates of every three following agents in its estimated topology map into a group and calculates their common circle and the corresponding circle center; it determines whether the volume of the area enclosed by the circle center set converges; if so, it iterates until the area volume converges to a preset threshold; if not, it scales the circle center set and recalculates the circle center set for the scaled coordinate set and determines whether it converges, and so on, until the area volume converges to a preset threshold, so as to obtain the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center.

[0014] To achieve the above objectives, a second aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a cooperative control program for an underwater multi-agent formation, which, when executed by a processor, implements the cooperative control method for the underwater multi-agent formation as described above.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium stores a cooperative control program for an underwater multi-agent formation, so that when a processor executes the cooperative control program for the underwater multi-agent formation, it can implement the cooperative control method for the underwater multi-agent formation as described above, thereby reducing the energy consumption of communication between UUVs and realizing dynamic positioning in a single-leader UUV mode.

[0016] To achieve the above objectives, a third aspect of the present invention provides a computer device including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations as described above.

[0017] According to the computer device of the present invention, a computer program that can run on a processor is stored in a memory so that when the processor executes the computer program, it can implement the cooperative control method of underwater multi-agent formation as described above, thereby reducing the energy consumption of communication between UUVs and realizing dynamic positioning in single-leader UUV mode.

[0018] To achieve the above objectives, a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a cooperative control device for an underwater multi-agent formation. The multi-agent formation includes a lead agent and multiple follower agents, each maintaining the same speed and operating on the same plane to form a fixed isoplanar formation. The cooperative control device includes: a first transmitting module, used to transmit positioning signals to the multiple follower agents at three time points when the lead agent is accelerating in place and orbiting, at which points are not aligned; and a second transmitting module, used to allow each follower agent to obtain its own positioning signal based on the received three positioning signals. Then, a broadcast is made so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signal to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map; a positioning calculation module is used for the lead agent to obtain the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its own estimated topology map, and to adjust the movement state of the lead agent so that the lead agent is located within the optimal positioning area in order to form the optimal estimated topology map; an adjustment control module is used for each agent in all the agents to dynamically adjust based on the optimal estimated topology map and its own previous estimated topology map in order to control all the agents to maintain the optimal formation.

[0019] The underwater multi-agent formation cooperative control device according to embodiments of the present invention can reduce the communication energy consumption between UUVs and realize dynamic positioning in single-leader UUV mode. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional motion model of a UUV according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the curve surrounding a pilot UUV according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the optimal positioning region iteration process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall flow of a formation control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the overall flow of a formation control method according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a simulation diagram of formation structure control according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of a cooperative control device for an underwater multi-agent formation according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0029] To better understand the above technical solutions, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present invention and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0030] To better understand the above technical solutions, the following will provide a detailed explanation of the technical solutions in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations according to an embodiment of the present invention; as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0032] S101, the lead agent accelerates in place to orbit so that it can send positioning signals to multiple follower agents at three time points when their positions are not on the same straight line.

[0033] It should be noted that the multi-agent formation includes one lead agent UUV and multiple follower agents UUV. After initialization, each agent maintains the same speed and runs on the same plane, forming a fixed isoplanar formation.

[0034] In other words, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, after the formation positioning initialization begins, all agents synchronize their clocks and maintain a slow pace at the same depth and speed v0.

[0035] As one example, the navigator accelerates in place to perform a circular motion so as to send positioning signals to multiple following agents at three time points when their positions are not on the same straight line. This includes: the navigator accelerates in place to perform a curved circular motion, and broadcasts three acoustic pulse messages containing its own position and attitude parameters to multiple following agents via an underwater acoustic communication device at the start, middle, and end points of the curved circular motion. The attitude parameters include speed, yaw angle, and acceleration.

[0036] It should be noted that when the navigation agent accelerates in place to perform a circling motion, it can circle in an elliptical or S-shaped manner, etc. This invention does not make specific limitations on this. In addition, since the positioning of a point is required, the distance between this point and three other points and the coordinates of these three points are needed. Furthermore, these three points need to meet certain conditions to achieve the positioning of an unknown point. That is, these three points cannot be on a straight line, otherwise there will be two symmetrical solutions. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a curved circling motion to obtain three points that are not on the same straight line.

[0037] In other words, during a positioning process, the navigation agent accelerates to a speed v. m The system performs a curve-circling maneuver, broadcasting three acoustic pulses containing its own position and attitude parameters at the beginning, middle, and end points of the curve via an underwater acoustic communication device. These attitude parameters include velocity, yaw angle, and acceleration. After completing the circle, the lead agent remains silent at velocity v0. The follower agent, upon receiving the three acoustic pulses, estimates its world coordinates using a least-squares algorithm and broadcasts these coordinates along with its attitude parameters.

[0038] As a specific example, in a marine environment, UUVs can obtain high-precision depth data using pressure sensors, thus simplifying the UUV motion model to a 2D motion model; for example... Figure 2 As shown, the position information of the UUV at time k can be represented as x and y represent the position of the UUV on the horizontal plane, while This represents its heading angle; assuming the UUV updates its position information every time interval T, its motion state at time k+1 can be described as:

[0039] I(k+1)=I(k)+TA(k)V(k)

[0040] in, V(k) represents the rate of change of different state parameters, and can be represented by the following matrix:

[0041]

[0042] Among them, v x and v y v represents the lateral and longitudinal velocities of a UUV. ox and v oy μ represents the velocity components of the UUV passively driven by the water flow in the x and y directions. ω Gaussian white noise with a zero-mean heading angular velocity ω, along with the other two, are used to simulate the noise interference of ocean currents on navigation in a real-world environment. ox and v oy The calculation formula is as follows:

[0043]

[0044] Wherein, k1, k2, k3, V and R represent parameters related to underwater environmental factors such as tides and depth sounding; considering that the propagation speed of sound signals in water is affected by water temperature, salinity and depth, reasonable modeling of sound speed values ​​helps to improve time delay estimation and positioning accuracy; the sound speed gradient model adopted in this invention is as follows, and this sound speed model can well simulate the sound speed values ​​in different water environments.

[0045] q(z,S,t)=1449.05+45.7t-5.21t 2 +0.23t 3 +(1.333-0.126t+0.009t 2 (S-35)+16.3z+0.18z 2

[0046] Where z represents UUV depth in km; S represents water salinity in ppt; and t represents water temperature in °C.

[0047] In the single-navigator model, the lead UUV is equipped with high-precision inertial navigation equipment, including an inertial navigation system, a Doppler velocity recorder, DGPS, and underwater acoustic communication equipment, enabling it to continuously acquire its own position in real time. The follower UUV, on the other hand, uses a lower-precision inertial navigation system, including an inertial navigation system and underwater acoustic communication equipment. At the start of positioning, the lead UUV accelerates to a speed v. m Perform curve wrapping, as shown in the diagram. Figure 3As shown, the star and black circle represent the positions of the pilot UUV and the follower UUV, respectively. The black circle represents the dynamic position of the follower UUV as it moves slowly during the positioning process. The curve represents the circling route of the pilot UUV. The three positions of the star are the three positions where the pilot UUV sends signals. The circling path of the curve is an ellipse with radius r.

[0048] S102, each of the multiple following agents obtains its own positioning signal based on the three received positioning signals and broadcasts it so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signals to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map.

[0049] It should be noted that each agent corresponds to an estimated topology map, and the estimated topology map includes the position information and attitude parameters of each agent. In an ideal state (without considering the influence of ocean currents, etc.), the estimated topology map corresponding to each agent is the same. However, the estimated topology map corresponding to each agent actually has a certain deviation.

[0050] As one embodiment, each of the multiple following agents obtains its own positioning signal based on the three received positioning signals and broadcasts it so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signal to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map. This includes: after receiving three acoustic pulse information, each of the multiple following agents estimates its own world coordinates using a least squares algorithm, and broadcasts its own world coordinates and attitude parameters so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the reception delay and velocity after receiving the broadcast signal to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map.

[0051] As a specific embodiment, after the following UUV receives three acoustic pulse signals sent by the pilot UUV at three locations on the curved path, it calculates the signal transmission time to determine the distances from the three signal sending points, which are d1, d2, and d3, respectively. The acoustic pulse signals include the pilot node position information L1 = (x1, y1, z1). T L2 = (x2, y2, z2) T L3 = (x3, y3, z3) T .

[0052] Suppose that the world coordinates of a UUV following a certain path are L * =(x * ,y * ,z * ) T The measurement equation can be described by the following formula:

[0053] ||L i ,L* ||=d i i = 1, 2, 3

[0054] Following the UUV, its own world coordinates L are calculated. * Then, set its current coordinates L * and attitude parameters A broadcast is made, where 'a' is the ship's acceleration and 'v' is the forward resultant velocity. Upon receiving the broadcast signal, each UUV estimates and compensates for the position of the UUV that sent the pulse signal. Assuming the time difference between the received signals is τ, the estimated position... Position compensation is performed using the following formula:

[0055]

[0056] Here, Δx represents the compensation factor in the x-direction; therefore, the estimated position after compensation can be... Write it as follows:

[0057]

[0058] in, A = (v, a) T .

[0059] This completes the positioning estimation process for a single pilot UUV. The relative estimated position topology map generated for each UUV is centered on the pilot UUV (coordinate center O).

[0060] Additionally, it should be noted that the positioning communication energy consumption of this invention is divided into two parts: one part is the energy consumption E of the UUV chip in standby mode and signal reception. c Part of it is the energy consumption E of the chip transmitting signals. t Assume the chip's power consumption in standby mode is P. s The power when receiving the signal is P. r If the total energy consumption of this communication is E, then:

[0061]

[0062] Among them, t s Indicates the chip's standby time, t t The signal transmission duration is indicated by l, the signal transmission distance is l, and SL is the sonar source level. # For the transmission consumption range, α # L represents the absorption coefficient. loss T represents the transmission loss caused by phenomena such as multipath propagation and refraction. tx It is the time taken to transmit a data packet.

[0063] Therefore, by calculating the formation topology of a single-leader UUV, the energy consumption of communication between UUVs is reduced, and dynamic positioning in the single-leader UUV mode is realized.

[0064] S103, the navigation agent obtains the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its own estimated topology map. By adjusting the motion state of the navigation agent, the navigation agent is positioned within the optimal positioning area in order to form the optimal estimated topology map.

[0065] In other words, the lead UUV calculates the optimal formation area based on the position and speed of the different following UUVs, and dynamically adjusts its own course and speed to reach the optimal formation position in the shortest possible time.

[0066] As an example, the leading agent obtains the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its estimated topology map, including: the leading agent groups the coordinates of every three following agents in its estimated topology map and calculates their common circle and the corresponding circle center; it determines whether the volume of the area enclosed by the circle center set converges; if so, it iterates until the area volume converges to a preset threshold; if not, it scales the circle center set and recalculates the circle center set for the scaled coordinate set and determines whether it converges, and so on, until the area volume converges to the preset threshold, so as to obtain the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center.

[0067] As a specific example, such as Figure 4 As shown, after obtaining the estimated topology map of each UUV location, the lead node iteratively calculates the optimal positioning area of ​​the structure. Assume there are N (N≥3) follower nodes with coordinates [(x1,y1,z1)]. T (x2, y2, z2) T ,...,(x N ,y N ,z N ) T By grouping the three following nodes into a single, unordered group, we can obtain... There are three groups; let the three coordinates of each group be L. a =(x a ,y a ,z a ) T L b =(x a ,y a ,z a ) T and L c =(x c ,y c ,z c ) T, with a common circle radius of r and a center coordinate of L r =(x r ,y r ,z r ) T , the basic parameters of the common circle can be obtained by using the formula ||L i ,L * || = d i , i = 1, 2, 3, where d i = r

[0068] Calculated common circle parameters are [(x r1 ,y r1 ,z r1 ,r1) T ,...,(x rn ,y rn ,z rn ,r n ) T . Here assume that the volume of the enclosed area formed by the centers at this time is V1. Subsequently, the n coordinates are regrouped to find the common center of the circle, and the area volume at this time is V2. It can be proved by the properties of the common circle that when the area volume obtained in the first iteration converges, the area volume obtained in each subsequent iteration converges; when the area volume obtained in the first iteration diverges, the area volume obtained in each subsequent iteration diverges. Let the volume of the optimal positioning area be V o , V o is generally set to 0.001% of the size of the simulation sea area, and the following is divided into two cases

[0069] When V2 < V1, the new set of centers is continuously grouped and solved until the volume V of the final center area i ≤ V o ;

[0070] When V2 ≥ V1, the n coordinates are grouped in the order of the convex hull structure, two in a group to find the midpoint coordinates, and midpoint coordinates can be obtained, calculate the common circle and center of its midpoints, and judge whether it converges. Continuously iterate the above process until the volume V formed by the space[[ID=6​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The spatial region is defined as the optimal positioning region, and the coordinates of the center of this spatial region are...

[0072] At this point, the navigation node calculates its own position relative to the spatial center L. core The system dynamically adjusts its course and speed based on distance and direction to navigate towards the center of space. Within the optimal positioning area, after iteration through a common circle or midpoint, the sum of the distances between points within the area and each UUV is minimized, resulting in small acoustic communication distance errors and high positioning accuracy. Assume the simulation environment size is (w, l, h). T The positioning error of the navigation node for each of the N following UUVs after each positioning is e. i =(e x ,e y ,e z ) T The positioning accuracy A can be calculated using the following formula:

[0073] Each positioning process includes an iterative process of the optimal positioning area and a process of the lead UUV adjusting its own course and speed. When the position of the lead UUV reaches the optimal area, the formation as a whole reaches the optimal positioning structure. After the formation initialization is completed, each UUV dynamically adjusts its own position according to the UUV position estimation topology map generated at this time to maintain the optimal structure and sail in coordination.

[0074] Therefore, the lead UUV calculates the optimal formation area based on the position and speed of different following UUVs, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0075] S104, Each agent in all the agents dynamically adjusts itself based on the optimal estimated topology and its previous estimated topology in order to control all agents to maintain the optimal formation.

[0076] In other words, at the start of initialization, the lead UUV calculates distance and direction to adjust its attitude parameters appropriately, smoothing its motion while quickly converging to the optimal formation position. After the formation is formed, each UUV dynamically adjusts its velocity by changing its position relative to the preceding and following topology, thus maintaining and controlling the formation.

[0077] It should be noted that during initialization, the lead UUV and follower UUVs are distributed relatively randomly and dispersed throughout the sea area. When the lead UUV begins to issue a formation initialization signal, broadcasting an acoustic pulse indicating the start of initialization, all follower UUVs maintain a slow speed of v0. Subsequently, the lead UUV accelerates to speed v. mAfter performing curve positioning and sending all acoustic pulse information, the UUV maintains a slow speed of v0. Once the navigation UUV calculates the optimal positioning area for the topology, it assumes its spatial position at time k is L. k =(x k ,y k ,z k ) T The attitude parameters are The center of the target area is L p =(x p ,y p ,z p ) T Then, the expression for updating the attitude parameters at the next moment is as follows:

[0078]

[0079] Where k≥1, d0=20, and ε is a retention factor used to control the smoothness of UUV steering; the larger ε is, the smoother the UUV steering. Therefore, the attitude parameters at time k+1... Dynamically adjusting the attitude parameters of the UUV allows the lead UUV to adjust its speed to a larger speed when it is far from the optimal positioning structure area of ​​the formation, and to a slower speed when it is close to the optimal positioning structure area of ​​the formation. The reasonable speed control of the UUV ensures that the lead UUV will not frequently exceed the boundary of the optimal area during the positioning cycle, and can also keep up with the speed of the iterative movement of the optimal area, which greatly improves the speed of UUV formation initialization and formation convergence.

[0080] After initialization, UUVs maintain the same speed and heading angle, and the final UUV position estimation topology map generated is the optimal formation topology map. Within each positioning cycle T, dynamic adjustments are made based on the generated new topology map. Assume that the position of following node i in the optimal formation topology is L. i The position at time L′ is then determined. i When L′ i ≠L i At that time, assume the adjusted speed value is v' i Distance difference ΔL=||L i ,L' i The following formula is used to dynamically adjust the movement speed of the UUV so that it can quickly return to the optimal structural state.

[0081]

[0082] When L i >L′ i When L is negative, the formula sign is negative. i <L′ i When the formula sign is positive, the formula sign is positive.

[0083] Therefore, the UUV control strategy for formation structure initialization reduces the structure initialization time while enabling dynamic and smooth adjustment of UUV speed.

[0084] It should be noted that in the process of self-localization and formation of underwater swarms, traditionally used methods such as extended Kalman filtering and hierarchical fusion localization, while improving positioning accuracy, have high algorithm complexity and long formation initialization time. Furthermore, underwater acoustic communication is limited, resulting in significant communication delays. Acoustic communication poses a challenge to the timeliness and accuracy of swarm self-localization. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, this invention proposes a cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations. This method controls each UUV in the formation individually, enabling it to reach and maintain the formation structure with the highest positioning accuracy in a short time. The control method mainly consists of three parts: a single-leader model positioning process, an optimal area iterative algorithm process, and a formation structure initialization control strategy. First, at the start of initialization, all UUVs maintain a slow speed of v0, while the single-leader UUV accelerates to speed v0. m The method involves a curved path formation, during which the UUV transmits acoustic pulse signals containing its own information. Following nodes calculate their world positions upon receiving the signals and broadcast their information. Once all UUVs receive each other's signals, a relative positional topology map is generated with the lead node as the world center. The lead UUV then dynamically adjusts its motion by calculating the optimal positioning region and its center within the topology. Positioning and attitude adjustment of a single lead UUV are performed synchronously until the lead UUV's position is within the optimal region. Finally, each UUV, after obtaining its optimal positioning topology map, dynamically adjusts its position based on preceding and following positions to maintain the optimal formation structure. Experimental results demonstrate that this method improves the accuracy and timeliness of formation positioning in practical underwater formation positioning applications, significantly reduces communication energy consumption, and exhibits strong robustness in the formation structure.

[0085] It is important to note that the initial state of the model is generated randomly. Using MATLAB, follower UUVs and pilot UUVs are randomly generated at different positions within the initially preset simulated sea area. They are then assigned different attributes and methods. The accuracy and robustness of the control method are tested by dynamically adjusting the simulation parameters of the underwater environment. A set of optimal method parameters is obtained from the simulation results with the best performance.

[0086] like Figure 7 As shown, the process is divided into two parts: formation initialization and control. It can be seen that the formation topology is well maintained during subsequent navigation, demonstrating a certain degree of robustness.

[0087] Furthermore, Table 1 shows some parameter settings during the simulation of this invention. By flexibly adjusting the parameters, we can adapt to different underwater environments and achieve the generalization of this model and method.

[0088] Table 1 Simulation Parameters

[0089]

[0090] In summary, the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations according to embodiments of the present invention achieves rapid formation of the optimal positioning structure of the underwater formation in complex underwater environments through an optimal positioning area iterative algorithm and dynamic control process. The positioning process for calculating the formation topology structure by a single lead UUV significantly reduces the communication energy consumption between UUVs and realizes dynamic positioning in single lead UUV mode. For the environment of dynamic underwater UUV topology structures, an optimal positioning area iterative algorithm for UUV formations is proposed. The lead UUV calculates the optimal area of ​​the formation structure based on the position and speed of different following UUVs, improving positioning accuracy. This area is dynamically adjusted by the formation structure, exhibiting strong robustness. Finally, addressing the problem that the motion state of UUVs in underwater dynamic environments may not be able to quickly adapt to the environment and optimal positioning area, the present invention proposes a UUV control strategy suitable for formation structure initialization, reducing structure initialization time while making UUV speed adjustments dynamic and smooth. Compared with traditional algorithms, this invention proposes a new formation positioning structure, while reducing algorithm complexity, improving the accuracy and timeliness of formation self-positioning, reducing communication energy consumption, and enabling the formation to adapt to the dynamically changing underwater environment.

[0091] In addition, this invention also proposes a computer-readable storage medium storing a cooperative control program for an underwater multi-agent formation. When the cooperative control program for the underwater multi-agent formation is executed by a processor, it implements the cooperative control method for the underwater multi-agent formation as described above.

[0092] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium stores a cooperative control program for an underwater multi-agent formation, so that when a processor executes the cooperative control program for the underwater multi-agent formation, it can implement the cooperative control method for the underwater multi-agent formation as described above, thereby reducing the energy consumption of communication between UUVs and realizing dynamic positioning in a single-leader UUV mode.

[0093] In addition, embodiments of the present invention propose a computer device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations as described above.

[0094] According to the computer device of the present invention, a computer program that can run on a processor is stored in a memory so that when the processor executes the computer program, it can implement the cooperative control method of underwater multi-agent formation as described above, thereby reducing the energy consumption of communication between UUVs and realizing dynamic positioning in single-leader UUV mode.

[0095] To achieve the above embodiments, this invention also proposes a cooperative control device for underwater multi-agent formations. The multi-agent formation includes a lead agent and multiple follower agents. Each agent maintains the same speed and runs on the same plane to form a fixed isoplanar formation. The cooperative control device includes a first sending module 10, a second sending module 20, a calculation and positioning module 30, and an adjustment and control module 40.

[0096] The system comprises the following modules: First transmission module 10 sends positioning signals to multiple following agents at three time points when the lead agent is accelerating and orbiting in place, with their positions not aligned; Second transmission module 20 broadcasts the positioning signals received by each of the following agents after obtaining their own positioning signals, so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signals to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map; Calculation module 30 enables the lead agent to obtain the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its estimated topology map, and adjusts the lead agent's motion state to ensure that the lead agent is located within the optimal positioning area, thus forming the optimal estimated topology map; Adjustment control module 40 enables each agent to dynamically adjust based on the optimal estimated topology map and its previous estimated topology map, so as to control all agents to maintain the optimal formation.

[0097] It should be noted that the above description of the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations also applies to the cooperative control device for this underwater multi-agent formation, and will not be repeated here.

[0098] In summary, the underwater multi-agent formation cooperative control device according to the embodiments of the present invention can reduce the communication energy consumption between UUVs and realize dynamic positioning in single-leader UUV mode.

[0099] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0100] This invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0101] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0102] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0103] It should be noted that any reference signs placed between parentheses in the claims should not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of components or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding a component does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such components. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different components and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words can be interpreted as names.

[0104] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including both the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the invention.

[0105] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this invention and their equivalents, this invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

[0106] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0107] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0108] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0109] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms should not be construed as necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0110] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations, characterized in that, The multi-agent formation includes a lead agent and multiple follower agents. Each agent maintains the same speed and operates on the same plane, forming a fixed isoplanar formation. The cooperative control method includes the following steps: The leading intelligent agent accelerates in place to orbit so as to send positioning signals to the multiple following intelligent agents at three time points when their positions are not in a straight line. Each of the multiple following agents obtains its own positioning signal based on the three received positioning signals and broadcasts it, so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signals to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map. The navigation agent obtains the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its own estimated topology map. By adjusting the motion state of the navigation agent, the navigation agent is positioned within the optimal positioning area in order to form the optimal estimated topology map. Each of the agents dynamically adjusts itself based on the optimal estimated topology and its previous estimated topology in order to control all agents to maintain the optimal formation. Each of the multiple following agents acquires its own positioning signal based on three received positioning signals and broadcasts it, so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signals to obtain a corresponding estimated topology map, including: After each of the multiple following agents receives three acoustic pulse messages, it uses the least squares algorithm to estimate its own world coordinates and broadcasts its own world coordinates and attitude parameters so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the reception delay and speed after receiving the broadcast signal to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map. The navigation agent obtains the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its estimated topology map, including: The leading agent groups the coordinates of every three following agents in its estimated topology graph and calculates their common circle and the corresponding circle center. Determine whether the volume of the region enclosed by the set of center points converges; If yes, iterative calculations are performed continuously until the region volume converges to a preset threshold; if no, the center set is scaled, and the center set is recalculated for the scaled coordinate set and convergence is determined. This process is repeated until the region volume converges to a preset threshold in order to obtain the optimal positioning region and the corresponding region center.

2. The cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The leading agent accelerates in place to orbit the surroundings in order to send positioning signals to the multiple following agents at three time points when their positions are not on the same straight line, including: The leading intelligent agent accelerates in place to perform a curve loop, and broadcasts three acoustic pulse messages containing its own position and attitude parameters to the multiple following intelligent agents through an underwater acoustic communication device at the start, middle and end points of the curve loop. The attitude parameters include speed, yaw angle and acceleration.

3. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores a cooperative control program for an underwater multi-agent formation, which, when executed by a processor, implements the cooperative control method for an underwater multi-agent formation as described in any one of claims 1-2.

4. A computer device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the program, it implements the cooperative control method for underwater multi-agent formations as described in any one of claims 1-2.

5. A cooperative control device for underwater multi-agent formations, characterized in that, The multi-agent formation includes a lead agent and multiple follower agents. Each agent maintains the same speed and operates on the same plane, forming a fixed isoplanar formation. The cooperative control device includes: The first sending module is used to send positioning signals to the multiple following agents at three time points when the leading agent is accelerating in place and circling, and the positions are not on the same straight line. The second sending module is used to broadcast the location signal obtained by each of the multiple following agents after receiving the three location signals, so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signal to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map. The calculation and positioning module is used by the navigation agent to obtain the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its own estimated topology map, and to adjust the motion state of the navigation agent so that the navigation agent is located in the optimal positioning area in order to form the optimal estimated topology map; The adjustment control module is used for each of the agents to dynamically adjust according to the optimal estimated topology map and its own previous estimated topology map, so as to control all agents to maintain the optimal formation. Each of the multiple following agents acquires its own positioning signal based on three received positioning signals and broadcasts it, so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the received broadcast signals to obtain a corresponding estimated topology map, including: After each of the multiple following agents receives three acoustic pulse messages, it uses the least squares algorithm to estimate its own world coordinates and broadcasts its own world coordinates and attitude parameters so that all agents in the multi-agent formation can perform position compensation based on the reception delay and speed after receiving the broadcast signal to obtain the corresponding estimated topology map. The navigation agent obtains the optimal positioning area and the corresponding area center based on its estimated topology map, including: The leading agent groups the coordinates of every three following agents in its estimated topology graph and calculates their common circle and the corresponding circle center. Determine whether the volume of the region enclosed by the set of center points converges; If yes, iterative calculations are performed continuously until the region volume converges to a preset threshold; if no, the center set is scaled, and the center set is recalculated for the scaled coordinate set and convergence is determined. This process is repeated until the region volume converges to a preset threshold in order to obtain the optimal positioning region and the corresponding region center.

6. The cooperative control device for underwater multi-agent formations as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The leading agent accelerates in place to orbit the surroundings in order to send positioning signals to the multiple following agents at three time points when their positions are not on the same straight line, including: The leading intelligent agent accelerates in place to perform a curve loop, and broadcasts three acoustic pulse messages containing its own position and attitude parameters to the multiple following intelligent agents through an underwater acoustic communication device at the start, middle and end points of the curve loop. The attitude parameters include speed, yaw angle and acceleration.

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