A Dynamic Time Assignment Communication Mechanism-Based Formation Control for Internet of Uncrewed Surface Vehicles Under DoS Attacks

The Internet of Things (IoT) application has significantly enhanced the operational efficiency and communication capabilities of large-scale networked uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). Nevertheless, resource-limited communication relay stations and potential Denial of Service (DoS) attacks pose severe threats to the reliability and security of IoT systems. Given these challenges, this article proposes a dynamic time assignment communication mechanism (DTACM) for USVs to manage communication resources and maintain formation security. The DTACM categorizes USVs into distinct groups and ensures interleaved intergroup communication. This prevents excessive individuals from occupying communication stations simultaneously, thereby guarding against potential communication delays and packet loss. Furthermore, to assess the damage caused by DoS attacks, this study introduces the average dwell-time automaton and time-ratio monitor into a hybrid system. These tools facilitate the analysis of system stability and resilience under malicious attack scenarios. Finally, the theoretical analysis and simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.