Angle-Aware Coverage with Camera Rotational Motion Control

Abstract: This paper presents a novel control strategy for drone networks to improve the quality of 3D structures reconstructed from aerial images by drones. Unlike the existing coverage control strategies for this purpose, our proposed approach simultaneously controls both the camera orientation and drone translational motion, enabling more comprehensive perspectives and enhancing the map's overall quality. Subsequently, we present a novel problem formulation, including a new performance function to evaluate the drone positions and camera orientations. We then design a QP-based controller with a control barrier-like function for a constraint on the decay rate of the objective function. The present problem formulation poses a new challenge, requiring significantly greater computational efforts than the case involving only translational motion control. We approach this issue technologically, namely by introducing JAX, utilizing just-in-time (JIT) compilation and Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) acceleration. We finally conduct extensive verifications through simulation in ROS (Robot Operating System) and show the real-time feasibility of the controller and the superiority of the present controller to the conventional method.