Distributed motion planning and control of autonomous ground and aerial vehicles

An autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) configured for carrying one or multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to perform one or multiple tasks necessitating visiting one or multiple target locations, wherein the AGV includes a processor coupled with stored instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

• collect energy budgets for each of the one or multiple tasks to be performed by each of the one or multiple UAVs;
• determine, for each of the tasks based on an energy budget collected for a task and an energy model of a UAV assigned to the task, a reachable set defining a region of space including a target location for performing the task that enables the UAV located in the reachable set to:
• reach the target location, spend a predetermined energy for performing the task, and exit the reachable set, while staying within the energy budget and operating within a safe envelope of flight conditions;
• determine, based on the energy model of the UAV, a difference between a launch time and a recovery time of the UAV based on dimensions of the reachable set and time allocated for the performance of the task corresponding to the energy predetermined for the task;
• determine an AGV motion trajectory as a function of time and space prescribing the AGV to be in a launch location within the reachable set at the launch time and in a recovery location within the reachable set at the recovery time subject to a constraint on the difference between the launch time and the recovery time;
• and
• control the AGV according to the AGV motion trajectory, while commanding the UAV to perform the task upon reaching the launch location at the launch time and collecting the UAV in the recovery location at the recovery time.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and embodied thereon a program executable by a processor performing a method for controlling an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) carrying one or multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to perform one or multiple tasks necessitating visiting one or multiple target locations, the method comprising:

• collecting energy budgets for each of the one or multiple tasks to be performed by each of the one or multiple UAVs;
• determining, for each of the tasks based on an energy budget collected for a task and an energy model of a UAV assigned to the task, a reachable set defining a region of space including a target location for performing the task that enables the UAV located in the reachable set to;
• reach the target location, spend a predetermined energy for performing the task, and exit the reachable set, while staying within the energy budget and operating within a safe envelope of flight conditions;
• determining, based on the energy model of the UAV, a difference between a launch time and a recovery time of the UAV based on dimensions of the reachable set and time allocated for the performance of the task corresponding to the energy predetermined for the task;
• determining an AGV motion trajectory as a function of time and space prescribing the AGV to be in a launch location within the reachable set at the launch time and in a recovery location within the reachable set at the recovery time subject to a constraint on the difference between the launch time and the recovery time;
• and
• controlling the AGV according to the AGV motion trajectory, while commanding the UAV to perform the task upon reaching the launch location at the launch time and collecting the UAV in the recovery location at the recovery time.