Dynamic Tracking Coverage With Quantity-Adjustment Behavior

In this article, a novel coverage algorithm is designed to realize dynamic tracking coverage of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with quantity-adjustment behavior, which can adjust the quantity of UAVs to cover the moving UGVs. In traditional coverage control, the paths of UAVs are preplanned to achieve regional coverage. Additionally, the quantity of UAVs remains unchanged, resulting in a waste of resources and a lack of flexibility. To overcome these problems, we present a novel coverage algorithm. First, the tracking coverage algorithm is designed, in which the positions of the UGVs are sampled at a certain interval, and
$k$
-means is used to obtain the optimal expected positions of UAVs. Then, to realize the quantity-adjustment behavior of UAVs, an evaluation mechanism is proposed to determine whether the UAVs should be added or withdrawn. UAVs should reach the expected positions during the sample interval. As a result, a finite-time terminal sliding-mode controller is designed to drive the UAVs to follow expected positions. Furthermore, we design a Lyapunov function to prove the stability of the controller. Finally, three simulation examples are put forward, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and controller.