Temporal Logic Task Planning and Intermittent Connectivity Control of Mobile Robot Networks

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a distributed intermittent communication and task planning framework for mobile robot teams. The goal of the robots is to accomplish complex tasks, captured by local Linear Temporal Logic formulas, and share the collected information with all other robots and possibly also with a user. Specifically, we consider situations where the robot communication capabilities are not sufficient to form reliable and connected networks while the robots move to accomplish their tasks. In this case, intermittent communication protocols are necessary that allow the robots to temporarily disconnect from the network in order to accomplish their tasks free of communication constraints. We assume that the robots can only communicate with each other when they meet at common locations in space. Our distributed control framework jointly determines local plans that allow all robots fulfill their assigned temporal tasks, sequences of communication events that guarantee information exchange infinitely often, and optimal communication locations that minimize red a desired distance metric. Simulation results verify the efficacy of the proposed controllers.

Multi-Robot Patrolling with Sensing Idleness and Data Delay Objectives

“…Connect. [23] X X S [4] X S [9] X D [13] o D [16], [15], [1], [28], [18], [2] X D [33], [34] X F [14], [3] R [25] F This work X X D Table 1: Summary of related work. An 'X' in the column Persist.…”

Distributed State Estimation Using Intermittently Connected Robot Networks

“…Moreover, all-time connectivity constraints may prevent the robots from moving freely in their environment to fulfill their tasks, and instead favor motions that maintain a reliable communication network. Motivated by this fact, intermittent communication frameworks have recently been proposed [17], [41]- [47]. Specifically, [41] addresses a data-ferrying problem by designing paths for a single robot that connect two static sensor nodes while optimizing motion and communication variables.…”

“…Specifically, [41] addresses a data-ferrying problem by designing paths for a single robot that connect two static sensor nodes while optimizing motion and communication variables. More general intermittent connectivity frameworks for multi-robot systems are proposed in [17], [42]- [47]. The work in [42] proposes a receding horizon framework for periodic connectivity that ensures recovery of connectivity within a given time horizon.…”

“…We assume that the robots have limited communication capabilities so that they communicate their measurements, only when they are sufficiently close to each other. To minimize the distance that the robots need to travel only to communicate, as in our previous work [17], we partition the robot network into small teams of robots so that the graph of teams is connected, where we define edges between teams that have robots in common. Then, we propose a correctby-construction, distributed, discrete controller that designs sequences of communication events for the robots in every team so that the overall robot network is intermittently connected infinitely often.…”

“…Then, we propose a correctby-construction, distributed, discrete controller that designs sequences of communication events for the robots in every team so that the overall robot network is intermittently connected infinitely often. In [17], we require that communication events take place when the robots in every team meet at a common location in space, selected from a finite set of available locations. Instead, here we select the location of the communication events in continuous space and depending on the current status of the estimation task.…”