An Online Optimization-Based Trajectory Planning Approach for Cooperative Landing Tasks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a real-time trajectory planning method for heterogeneous multi-robot systems to perform cooperative landing tasks, optimizing landing coordination and timing under user specifications.

Contribution

It extends potential-based complementarity constraints to collaborative landing scenarios, enabling autonomous, real-time coordination between different robot types.

Findings

Successfully verified in simulation and real-world tests.

Demonstrated real-time trajectory generation for cooperative landing.

Enhanced safety and efficiency in multi-robot landing tasks.

Abstract

This paper presents a real-time trajectory planning scheme for a heterogeneous multi-robot system (consisting of a quadrotor and a ground mobile robot) for a cooperative landing task, where the landing position, landing time, and coordination between the robots are determined autonomously under the consideration of feasibility and user specifications. The proposed framework leverages the potential of the complementarity constraint as a decision-maker and an indicator for diverse cooperative tasks and extends it to the collaborative landing scenario. In a potential application of the proposed methodology, a ground mobile robot may serve as a mobile charging station and coordinates in real-time with a quadrotor to be charged, facilitating a safe and efficient rendezvous and landing. We verified the generated trajectories in simulation and real-world applications, demonstrating the real-time capabilities of the proposed landing planning framework.