To extend the proposed observer-based control approach for multi-vehicle systems to handle communication delays or packet losses, several strategies can be employed. First, the design of the observers can incorporate delay compensation techniques. This can be achieved by modeling the communication delays as part of the system dynamics, allowing the observers to predict the state of the vehicles based on past measurements. For instance, a state predictor can be integrated into the observer design, which uses historical data to estimate the current state when new measurements are delayed.
Additionally, robust control techniques can be applied to ensure stability and performance despite packet losses. This involves designing the observer and controller to be resilient to missing data, possibly by employing techniques such as state estimation with missing measurements or using redundancy in the communication protocol. For example, implementing a consensus-based approach where vehicles can share their state estimates with multiple neighbors can mitigate the impact of packet losses.
Moreover, the use of event-triggered communication strategies can be beneficial. Instead of continuous data transmission, vehicles can communicate their states only when significant changes occur, reducing the likelihood of congestion and improving the reliability of the information exchanged. This approach can be combined with the Bearing Persistently Exciting (BPE) formation concept, ensuring that the formation remains stable even under communication constraints.