Title :
A time synchronized multi-robot coverage algorithm for unstructured environment
Author :
Tae-Shin Kim ; Young-Ho Lee ; Jong-Koo Park ; Tae-Yong Kuc ; Sang-Hoon Ji ; Sang-Moo Lee ; Yong-Sun Moon
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Electr. & Electron. Eng., SungKyunKwan Univ., Suwon, South Korea
Abstract :
This paper considers a design problem for time synchronized coverage control of cooperative mobile robots. The derived algorithm provides a coverage control which not only considers the mobility characteristic of each mobile robot for task allocation but generates robot velocity profile for synchronized coverage completion within the constrained time. Since the environment for robot coverage work is modeled as a set of locations to visit by robots, the derived coverage algorithm and its control method are equally well suited to an unstructured working environment as to the structured work space. In determining the number of locations for each robot to visit during coverage operation, a time index derived from the minimum time velocity profile is used for the comparison of robot performance. Once the set of locations has been determined for each robot, the corresponding path tree and velocity profile are generated for synchronized execution of coverage work. The completeness of synchronized group coverage within the constrained time is proven through simulation for a group of mobile robots with different motor characteristics. An additional consideration by the derived coverage controller is collision avoidance of mobile robots in a crowded environment with the aid of finite potential function approach.
Keywords :
control system synthesis; mobile robots; multi-robot systems; path planning; synchronisation; trees (mathematics); velocity control; collision avoidance; cooperative mobile robots; finite potential function approach; mobility characteristics; motor characteristics; path tree; robot velocity profile; synchronized coverage work execution; synchronized group coverage completeness; task allocation; time index; time synchronized coverage control; time synchronized multirobot coverage algorithm; time velocity profile; unstructured working environment; Analytical models; Data models; Indexes; Mobile communication; Partitioning algorithms; Robots; Synchronization; Collision Avoidance; Cooperative Robot Coverage; Coverage Path Tree; Euler Path; Heterogeneous Robots; Task Allocation; Time Constrained Coverage; Time Synchronized Control; Unstructured Environment;
Conference_Titel :
Control, Automation and Systems (ICCAS), 2014 14th International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Seoul
Print_ISBN :
978-8-9932-1506-9
DOI :
10.1109/ICCAS.2014.6988042