Fuzzy logic is used in a variety of applications because of its universal approximator attribute and nonlinear characteristics. But, it takes a lot of trial and error to come up with a set of membership functions and rule-base that will effectively work for a specific application. This process could be simplified by using a heuristic search algorithm like Genetic Algorithm (GA). In this paper, genetic fuzzy is applied to the task assignment for cooperating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) classified as the Polygon Visiting Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem (PVMTSP). The PVMTSP finds a lot of applications including UAV swarm routing. We propose a method of genetic fuzzy clustering that would be specific to PVMTSP problems and hence more efficient compared to k-means and c-means clustering. We developed two different algorithms using genetic fuzzy. One evaluates the distance covered by each UAV to cluster the search-space and the other uses a cost function that approximates the distance covered thus resulting in a reduced computational time. We compare these two approaches to each other as well as to an already benchmarked fuzzy clustering algorithm which is the current state-of-the-art. We also discuss how well our algorithm scales for increasing number of targets. The results are compared for small and large polygon sizes.
SummaryThis paper introduces an approach of collaborative control for individual robots to collaboratively perform a common task, without the need for a centralized controller to coordinate the group. The approach is illustrated by an application example involving multiple robots performing a collaborative task to achieve a common goal. The objective of this example problem is to control multiple robots that are connected to an object through elastic cables in order to bring the object to a target position. There is no communication between the robots, and hence each robot is unaware of how the other robots are going to react at any instant. Only the information pertaining to the object and the target is available to all the robots at any instant. Genetic fuzzy system (GFS) is used to develop controller for each of the robots. The nonlinearity of fuzzy logic systems coupled with the search capability of genetic algorithms provides a tool to design controllers for such collaborative tasks. A set of training scenarios are developed to train the individual robot controllers for this task. The trained controllers are then tested on an extensive set of scenarios. This paper describes the development process of GFS controllers for dynamic case involving systems consisting of three robots. It is also shown that the GFS controllers are scalable for the more complex systems involving more than three robots.
Sathyan A, Boone N and Cohen K. (2015). Comparison of approximate approaches to solving the Travelling Salesman Problem and its application to UAV swarming. International Journal of Unmanned Systems Engineering. 3(1): 1-16. The Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) is a widely researched Non-deterministic Polynomial-time hard optimization problem with a range of important applications in a wide spectrum of disciplines including aerospace engineering. In this paper, a comparison of different approaches to solve the TSP and also its application towards swarming of UAVs is considered. The objective of the TSP is to determine the optimal route associated with the shortest tour connecting all targets just once. Genetic Algorithms (GA) are one of the most widely applied techniques for solving this class of optimization problems. Two other techniques, 2-opt and Particle Swarm Optimization, are used and the results are compared with those obtained using GA. The comparison is made for different numbers of targets, using salient figures of merit such as computational time required and the cost function which is the minimum solution (distance) obtained. Results show that the 2-opt approach with the closest neighbour as initial starting point for the search yields superior performance. In the Multiple Travelling Salesman Problem, we propose a cluster-first approach which allocates each specific UAV to a subset of targets. The 200 targets are divided into four clusters corresponding to the four UAVs and then TSP algorithms like 2-opt and GA are employed to solve each cluster. This approach drastically reduces the computational time and also gives much better results than the conventional technique of directly applying GA over the 200 targets.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.