Bearing-based autonomous communication relay positioning under field-of-view constraints

Abstract

This article investigates the problem of communication relay establishment for multiple agent-based mobile units using a relay vehicle. The objective is to drive autonomously the relay vehicle to attain a position for communication relay establishment while maintaining the other vehicles inside of its field-of-view. A bearing-based control law is proposed for the relay drone and designed for both single and multiple agents. We also provide a collision avoidance scheme that ensures no collisions between the relay and other agents. Numerical simulations and experimental results are reported as well to show the efficacy of the proposed approach.