Stable Flocking of Mobile Agents Pat 11: Dynamic Topology WeMOl-2

This is the second of a two-part paper, investigating the stability properties of a system of multiple mobile agents with double integrator dynamics. In this second part, we allow the topology of the control interconnections between the agents in the group to vary with time. Specifically, the control law of an agent depends on the state of a set of agents that are within a certain neighborhood around it. As the agents move around this set changes, giving rise to a dynamic control interconnection topology and a switching control law. This control law consists of a a combination of attractive/repulsive and alignment forces. The former ensure collision avoidance and cohesion of the group and the latter result to all agents attaining a common heading angle, exhibiting flocking motion. Despite the use of only local information and the time varying nature of agent interaction which affects the local controllers, flocking motion is established, as long as connectivity in the neighboring graph is maintained. Comments Copyright 2003 IEEE. Reprinted from Proceedings of the 42nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control 2003, Volume 2, pages 2016-2021. This material is posted here with permission of the IEEE. Such permission of the IEEE does not in any way imply IEEE endorsement of any of the University of Pennsylvania's products or services. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution must be obtained from the IEEE by writing to pubs-permissions@ieee.org. By choosing to view this document, you agree to all provisions of the copyright laws protecting it. This conference paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/ese_papers/101 Promdings of Ihe 42nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control Maui, Hawaii USA, December 2003 Stable Flocking of Mobile Agents P a t 11: Dynamic Topology WeMOl-2 Herbert G. Tanner Mechanical Engineering Dept University of New Mexico Abstmct-This is the second of a two-part paper, inves tlgating the stability properties of a system of multiple mobile agents with double integrator dynamics. In this second part, we allow the topology of the control interconnections between the agents in the group to vary with time. SpeciAcally, the control law of an agent depends on the state of a set of agents that are within a certain neighborhood around it, As t he agents move around this set changes, giving rise to a dynamic control interconnection topology and a switching control law. This control law consists of a a combination of attractive/repulsive and alignment forces. The former ensure collision avoidance and cohesion of t he group and the latter result to all agents attaining a common heading angle, exhibiting flocking motion. Despite the use of only local information and the time varying nature of agent interaction which affects the local controllers, flocking motion is established, as long as connectivity in the neighboring graph is maintained.