A Static Area Coverage Algorithm for Heterogeneous AUV Group Based on Biological Competition Mechanism

• Published in: Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology Vol. 10; p. 845161
• Main Authors: Guo, Xuan, Chen, Yuepeng, Zhao, Dongming, Luo, Guangyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 13.04.2022
• Subjects: Bioengineering and Biotechnology; biological competition mechanism; centroidal Voronoi tessellation algorithm; heterogeneous autonomous underwater vehicle group; load balancing; Voronoi diagram; Voronoi diagram; biological competition mechanism; load balancing; centroidal Voronoi tessellation algorithm; heterogeneous autonomous underwater vehicle group
• ISSN: 2296-4185; 2296-4185
• DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.845161

Static area coverage of the heterogeneous autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) group is widely used in many fields. With the use of the centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT) algorithm, the coverage problem can be resolved. However, the CVT method, which is optimized with the location evaluation function, cannot consider the heterogeneity of AUVs when the group performs the static area coverage task and will cause a waste of resources. In this paper, considering different AUVs’ task requirements and detection capabilities comprehensively, we propose a coverage control optimization algorithm based on a biological competition mechanism (BCM). By using BCM, the task load of each AUV can be distributed consistently. In addition, we provide strict proof of the consistency of the algorithm based on the Lyapunov method. Simulation results demonstrate that with the proposed algorithm, the location distribution of the heterogeneous AUV group for area coverage is close to the balanced value, and the performance is better than the CVT algorithm for static area coverage.