A Topology Reconfiguration Strategy for Containment Control of the Multi-USV System Based on Algebraic Connectivity

To cope with the problem of repeatedly triggering collision avoidance conditions that collision avoidance algorithms used in containment control systems, this article investigates the reconfiguration of communication network topology for the multi-unmanned surface vehicle (USV) containment control system, which is from the perspective of algebraic connectivity of the system topology. By analyzing the relationship between the algebraic connectivity of the network topology composed of followers and the converging positions of followers and considering the capability of the system to resist external disturbances and avoid collisions within the system, a multi-USV containment control system topology reconfiguration strategy based on the algebraic connectivity is proposed. The strategy regards the desired algebraic connectivity as the control objective. By identifying the USVs involved in the cooperative task and their communication links in a decentralized way, each USV in the system is able to independently add and delete communication links, thus obtaining a system topology that matches the control objective. Under the reconfigured system topology, the final convergence position of the followers is relatively dispersed. Systems with such characteristics have better collision avoidance and antidisturbance properties, which can compensate to a certain extent for the limitations of traditional correlation algorithms under the influence of complex marine environments. Finally, the simulation and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the topology reconfiguration strategy proposed in this article for multi-USV containment control systems.