A spatio-temporal reference trajectory planner approach to collision-free continuum deformation coordination

This paper proposes a spatio-temporal reference trajectory planner approach to safely plan continuum deformation coordination of a multi-agent system (MAS) in an obstacle-laden environment. We formulate a desired n-D continuum deformation as a leader-follower problem guided by n + 1 leaders and followed by the remaining follower agents either through direct communication with leaders or communication with neighboring agents. To plan a safe continuum deformation coordination, we first provide sufficient conditions for inter-agent and obstacle collision avoidance. Then, we spatially optimize the continuum deformation coordination using the A* search to determine leaders' desired waypoints in an obstacle-laden environment. Leaders' desired waypoints are connected through C-1 continuous paths that are assigned by the spline curve fitting method. The desired trajectories of the leaders are then determined by planning a piece-wise constant reference input such that travel time is minimized and safety of the continuum deformation coordination is ensured. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a spatio-temporal reference trajectory planner approach to safely plan continuum deformation coordination of a multi-agent system in an obstacle-laden environment. The proposed method formulates the desired n-D continuum deformation as a leader-follower problem and provides sufficient conditions for inter-agent and obstacle collision avoidance. By spatially optimizing the continuum deformation coordination and planning piece-wise constant reference inputs, the method minimizes travel time and ensures the safety of the coordination.