A Signal Temporal Logic Approach for Task-Based Coordination of Multi-Aerial Systems: a Wind Turbine Inspection Case Study

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel approach using Signal Temporal Logic to coordinate multi-rotor teams for wind turbine inspections, ensuring safe, feasible trajectories that meet complex temporal constraints and adapt to unforeseen events.

Contribution

It introduces an STL-based optimization framework with an event-triggered replanner and robustness scoring for task coordination in multi-aerial systems.

Findings

Successful simulation results in MATLAB and Gazebo

Effective field experiments demonstrating real-world applicability

Enhanced task compliance and adaptability in multi-robot inspections

Abstract

The paper addresses task assignment and trajectory generation for collaborative inspection missions using a fleet of multi-rotors, focusing on the wind turbine inspection scenario. The proposed solution enables safe and feasible trajectories while accommodating heterogeneous time-bound constraints and vehicle physical limits. An optimization problem is formulated to meet mission objectives and temporal requirements encoded as Signal Temporal Logic (STL) specifications. Additionally, an event-triggered replanner is introduced to address unforeseen events and compensate for lost time. Furthermore, a generalized robustness scoring method is employed to reflect user preferences and mitigate task conflicts. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through MATLAB and Gazebo simulations, as well as field multi-robot experiments in a mock-up scenario.