This paper presents a distributed second-order control algorithm for deploying a group of nonholonomic mobile robots into an unknown environment to establish and maintain desired sensor coverage. The general control framework is formulated based on Hamilton’s principle. The control input is defined in the form of a potential/force field. A multi-robot collision avoidance scheme is also presented. The effectiveness of the proposed deployment control scheme is verified through both simulations and experiments. Main performance factors, including equilibrium deployment configuration, convergence of inter-robot coverage distance and collision avoidance, are presented and analyzed.
Adaptive Formation Control and Collision Avoidance Using a Priority Strategy for Nonholonomic Mobile Robots
