Decentralized control of cooperative robotic vehicles: theory and application

TLDR

Decentralized control research has traditionally partitioned complex physically interconnected systems, but this study connects independent, non‑touching robotic vehicles to achieve stable, coordinated behavior, building on cooperation models linked to reachability, observability, and controllability. The study investigates how decentralized control theory can analyze and enable coordinated control of multiple cooperative robotic vehicles. The authors employ a vector Lyapunov approach to prove stability for line and formation motion of multiple vehicles, and illustrate the theory with applications to formation control, perimeter guarding, and facility surrounding. The vector Lyapunov analysis demonstrates stability for both line‑aligned and formation‑based coordinated motion of multiple vehicles.

Abstract

Describes how decentralized control theory can be used to analyze the control of multiple cooperative robotic vehicles. Models of cooperation are discussed and related to the input/output reachability, structural observability, and controllability of the entire system. Whereas decentralized control research in the past has concentrated on using decentralized controllers to partition complex physically interconnected systems, this work uses decentralized methods to connect otherwise independent nontouching robotic vehicles so that they behave in a stable, coordinated fashion. A vector Liapunov method is used to prove stability of two examples: the controlled motion of multiple vehicles along a line and the controlled motion of multiple vehicles in formation. Also presented are three applications of this theory: controlling a formation, guarding a perimeter, and surrounding a facility.