A Synchronization Problem for a Team of AUVs in the Max-Plus Algebra Framework

This paper presents a synchronization problem for a team of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), represented by fish robots for reconnaissance purposes. The methodology and the underlying mathematical framework are developed to address a possible synchronization of such a team, defined as a fish robot shoal, by exploiting the max-plus algebra for modeling and controlling the devices. In detail, a switching max-plus linear system is considered to model each reconnaissance step. The synchronization problem consists of forcing the system’s output to equal a given model’s output so that the robots can perform their tasks according to a predefined schedule. A simulation test is also provided, confirming the feasibility of this strategy.