Title :
Cooperative transport by multiple mobile robots in unknown static environments associated with real-time task assignment
Author :
Miyata, Natsuki ; Ota, Jun ; Arai, Tamio ; Asama, Hajime
Author_Institution :
Digital Human Lab., Nat. Inst. of Adv. Ind. Sci. & Technol., Tokyo, Japan
fDate :
10/1/2002 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
This paper deals with a task-assignment architecture for cooperative transport by multiple mobile robots in an unknown static environment. The architecture should satisfy three features: deal with a variety of tasks in time and space, deal with a large number of tasks compared with the number of robots, and decide the behavior in real time. The authors propose the following approach: we consider the unit of task (task instance) as the job that should be done in a short time by one robot. Based on the environmental information, task instances are dynamically generated using task templates. The priority of task instances is evaluated dynamically based on the number of robots and the configuration in the workspace. In addition, we avoid generating too many task instances by suppressing object motion. The main part of the architecture consists of two real-time planners: a priority-based task-assignment planner solved by using the linear programming method, and motion planners based on short-time estimation. The effectiveness of the proposed architecture is verified by a cooperative transport simulation in an unknown environment.
Keywords :
cooperative systems; mobile robots; multi-robot systems; path planning; real-time systems; transportation; cooperative transport; dynamic task domain; linear programming; motion planning; multiple mobile robots; real time system; task assignment; task-assignment architecture; Building materials; Chemical engineering; Humans; Laboratories; Linear programming; Mobile robots; Motion estimation; Orbital robotics; Process control; Robot sensing systems;
Journal_Title :
Robotics and Automation, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TRA.2002.803464