4,992 research outputs found
Obstacle Avoidance in Formation Using Navigation-like Functions and Constraint Based Programming
Abstract-In this paper, we combine navigation functionlike potential fields and constraint based programming to achieve obstacle avoidance in formation. Constraint based programming was developed in robotic manipulation as a technique to take several constraints into account when controlling redundant manipulators. The approach has also been generalized, and applied to other control systems such as dual arm manipulators and unmanned aerial vehicles. Navigation functions are an elegant way to design controllers with provable properties for navigation problems. By combining these tools, we take advantage of the redundancy inherent in a multi-agent control problem and are able to concurrently address features such as formation maintenance and goal convergence, even in the presence of moving obstacles. We show how the user can decide a priority ordering of the objectives, as well as a clear way of seeing what objectives are currently addressed and what are postponed. We also analyze the theoretical properties of the proposed controller. Finally, we use a set of simulations to illustrate the approach
Decentralized MPC based Obstacle Avoidance for Multi-Robot Target Tracking Scenarios
In this work, we consider the problem of decentralized multi-robot target
tracking and obstacle avoidance in dynamic environments. Each robot executes a
local motion planning algorithm which is based on model predictive control
(MPC). The planner is designed as a quadratic program, subject to constraints
on robot dynamics and obstacle avoidance. Repulsive potential field functions
are employed to avoid obstacles. The novelty of our approach lies in embedding
these non-linear potential field functions as constraints within a convex
optimization framework. Our method convexifies non-convex constraints and
dependencies, by replacing them as pre-computed external input forces in robot
dynamics. The proposed algorithm additionally incorporates different methods to
avoid field local minima problems associated with using potential field
functions in planning. The motion planner does not enforce predefined
trajectories or any formation geometry on the robots and is a comprehensive
solution for cooperative obstacle avoidance in the context of multi-robot
target tracking. We perform simulation studies in different environmental
scenarios to showcase the convergence and efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Video of simulation studies: \url{https://youtu.be/umkdm82Tt0M
A Method for Modifying Closed-Loop Motion Plans to Satisfy Unpredictable Dynamic Constraints at Runtime
In this paper; the problem of motion planning in environments with both known static obstacles and unpredictable dynamic constraints is considered. A methodology is introduced in which the motion plan for the static environment is modified on-line to accommodate the unpredictable constraints in such a way that the completeness properties of the original motion plan are preserved. At the heart of the approach is the idea that Navigation functions are indeed Lyapunov functions; and that the traditional method of forcing the robot to track the negative gradient of field is not the only input which stabilizes the system. This extra freedom in selecting the input is used to accommodate the dynamic constraints. A computational method for selecting the appropriate inputs is given. The method is used to solve two sample problems. The constraints in these cases are used to model collisions with other robots and, in the second example, a team of robots traveling in formation. Finally, some preliminary work on extending the approach to nonholonomic systems is presented
A Survey on Passing-through Control of Multi-Robot Systems in Cluttered Environments
This survey presents a comprehensive review of various methods and algorithms
related to passing-through control of multi-robot systems in cluttered
environments. Numerous studies have investigated this area, and we identify
several avenues for enhancing existing methods. This survey describes some
models of robots and commonly considered control objectives, followed by an
in-depth analysis of four types of algorithms that can be employed for
passing-through control: leader-follower formation control, multi-robot
trajectory planning, control-based methods, and virtual tube planning and
control. Furthermore, we conduct a comparative analysis of these techniques and
provide some subjective and general evaluations.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figure
Formation Flight in Dense Environments
Formation flight has a vast potential for aerial robot swarms in various
applications. However, existing methods lack the capability to achieve fully
autonomous large-scale formation flight in dense environments. To bridge the
gap, we present a complete formation flight system that effectively integrates
real-world constraints into aerial formation navigation. This paper proposes a
differentiable graph-based metric to quantify the overall similarity error
between formations. This metric is invariant to rotation, translation, and
scaling, providing more freedom for formation coordination. We design a
distributed trajectory optimization framework that considers formation
similarity, obstacle avoidance, and dynamic feasibility. The optimization is
decoupled to make large-scale formation flights computationally feasible. To
improve the elasticity of formation navigation in highly constrained scenes, we
present a swarm reorganization method which adaptively adjusts the formation
parameters and task assignments by generating local navigation goals. A novel
swarm agreement strategy called global-remap-local-replan and a formation-level
path planner is proposed in this work to coordinate the swarm global planning
and local trajectory optimizations efficiently. To validate the proposed
method, we design comprehensive benchmarks and simulations with other
cutting-edge works in terms of adaptability, predictability, elasticity,
resilience, and efficiency. Finally, integrated with palm-sized swarm platforms
with onboard computers and sensors, the proposed method demonstrates its
efficiency and robustness by achieving the largest scale formation flight in
dense outdoor environments.Comment: Submitted for IEEE Transactions on Robotic
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