A cooperative formation method for AUV swarm under directed communication constrains

The formation movement of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) clusters has significant application value in underwater missions. To achieve efficient collaboration and formation movement of AUV clusters in underwater mission scenarios, this paper proposes a method for AUV cluster formation movement based on directed communication constraints. This method utilizes the directed communication limitations between vehicles in real underwater environments through simulation to mimic communication conditions and employs a self-developed method to control the relative positions between follower vehicles and leader vehicles within the cluster. This approach thereby enables perception and communication between AUVs, adaptively adjusts formations, coordinates actions, and effectively responds to task requirements and environmental changes. This paper introduces the principles, design framework, and implementation process of the proposed method, and verifies its effectiveness through simulation and experimental results.