Multiple Robot Boundary Tracking with Phase and Workload Balancing

This thesis discusses the use of a cooperative multiple robot system as applied to distributed tracking and sampling of a boundary edge. Within this system the boundary edge is partitioned into subsegments, each allocated to a particular robot such that workload is balanced across the robots. Also, to minimize the time between sampling local areas of the boundary edge, it is desirable to minimize the difference between each robot’s progression (i.e. phase) along its allocated sub segment of the edge. The paper introduces a new distributed controller that handles both workload and phase balancing. Simulation results are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the controller in an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) under ice edge sampling application. Successful results from experimentation with three iRobot(R) Creates are also presented.

Name thesis:degree_name

MS in Electrical Engineering

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical Engineering

Year dc:date.available

2010

Author dc:creator

• Boardman, Michael Jay

Contributors dc:contributor

• Christopher M. Clark

• Robotics
• Boundary Tracking
• Phase Balancing
• Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
• Controls and Control Theory

Identifier

10.15368/theses.2010.122

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.calpoly.edu:theses-1377