2 research outputs found
Sensor Deployment for Network-like Environments
This paper considers the problem of optimally deploying omnidirectional
sensors, with potentially limited sensing radius, in a network-like
environment. This model provides a compact and effective description of complex
environments as well as a proper representation of road or river networks. We
present a two-step procedure based on a discrete-time gradient ascent algorithm
to find a local optimum for this problem. The first step performs a coarse
optimization where sensors are allowed to move in the plane, to vary their
sensing radius and to make use of a reduced model of the environment called
collapsed network. It is made up of a finite discrete set of points,
barycenters, produced by collapsing network edges. Sensors can be also
clustered to reduce the complexity of this phase. The sensors' positions found
in the first step are then projected on the network and used in the second
finer optimization, where sensors are constrained to move only on the network.
The second step can be performed on-line, in a distributed fashion, by sensors
moving in the real environment, and can make use of the full network as well as
of the collapsed one. The adoption of a less constrained initial optimization
has the merit of reducing the negative impact of the presence of a large number
of local optima. The effectiveness of the presented procedure is illustrated by
a simulated deployment problem in an airport environment
Static and dynamic optimization problems in cooperative multi-agent systems
This dissertation focuses on challenging static and dynamic problems encountered in cooperative multi-agent systems. First, a unified optimization framework is proposed for a wide range of tasks including consensus, optimal coverage, and resource allocation problems. It allows gradient-based algorithms to be applied to solve these problems, all of which have been studied in a separate way in the past. Gradient-based algorithms are shown to be distributed for a subclass of problems where objective functions can be decoupled.
Second, the issue of global optimality is studied for optimal coverage problems where agents are deployed to maximize the joint detection probability. Objective functions in these problems are non-convex and no global optimum can be guaranteed by gradient-based algorithms developed to date. In order to obtain a solution close to the global optimum, the selection of initial conditions is crucial. The initial state is determined by an additional optimization problem where the objective function is monotone submodular, a class of functions for which the greedy solution performance is guaranteed to be within a provable bound relative to the optimal performance. The bound is known to be within 1 − 1/e of the optimal solution and is improved by exploiting the curvature information of the objective function. The greedy solution is subsequently used as an initial point of a gradient-based algorithm for the original optimal coverage problem. In addition, a novel method is proposed to escape a local optimum in a systematic way instead of randomly perturbing controllable variables away from a local optimum.
Finally, optimal dynamic formation control problems are addressed for mobile leader-follower networks. Optimal formations are determined by maximizing a given objective function while continuously preserving communication connectivity in a time-varying environment. It is shown that in a convex mission space, the connectivity constraints can be satisfied by any feasible solution to a Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) problem. For the class of optimal formation problems where the objective is to maximize coverage, the optimal formation is proven to be a tree which can be efficiently constructed without solving a MINLP problem. In a mission space constrained by obstacles, a minimum-effort reconfiguration approach is designed for obtaining the formation which still optimizes the objective function while avoiding the obstacles and ensuring connectivity