Finite-time multi-agent deployment: A nonlinear PDE motion planning approach

• Published in: Automatica (Oxford) Vol. 47; no. 11; pp. 2534 - 2542
• Main Authors: Meurer, Thomas, Krstic, Miroslav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agents (artificial intelligence); Applied sciences; Artificial intelligence; Boundaries; Communication systems; Computer science; control theory; systems; Computer systems and distributed systems. User interface; Control theory. Systems; Discretization; Distributed-parameter systems; Exact sciences and technology; Expert systems; Flatness; Formation control; Motion planning; Multi-agent deployment; Nonlinearity; Partial differential equations; Robotics; Software; Motion planning; Formation control; Multi-agent deployment; Distributed-parameter systems; Flatness; Leadership; Navigation; Formal series; Flat system; Path planning; Modeling; Power series; Time varying system; Multiagent system; Discretization; Leader election; Series expansion; Dynamic model; Motion control; Formation; Artificial intelligence; Distributed parameter system
• ISSN: 0005-1098; 1873-2836
• DOI: 10.1016/j.automatica.2011.08.045

The systematic flatness-based motion planning using formal power series and suitable summability methods is considered for the finite-time deployment of multi-agent systems into planar formation profiles along predefined spatial–temporal paths. Thereby, a distributed-parameter setting is proposed, where the collective leader–follower agent dynamics is modeled by two boundary controlled nonlinear time-varying PDEs governing the motion of an agent continuum in the plane. The discretization of the PDE model directly induces a decentralized communication and interconnection structure for the multi-agent system, which is required to achieve the desired spatial–temporal paths and deployment formations.