Distributed Coverage Control of Constrained Constant-Speed Unicycle Multi-Agent Systems

This paper proposes a novel distributed coverage controller for a multi-agent system with constant-speed unicycle robots (CSUR). The work is motivated by the limitation of the conventional method that does not ensure the satisfaction of hard state-and input-dependent constraints and leads to feasibility issues for multi-CSUR systems. In this paper, we solve these problems by designing a novel coverage cost function and a saturated gradient-search-based control law. Theoretical proofs are provided to guarantee that the CSURs ultimately move to the optimal coverage configuration without moving out of the covered domain. The controller is implemented in a distributed manner based on a novel communication standard among the agents. A series of simulation studies are conducted to validate the correctness of our theory by showing the efficacy of the proposed coverage controller in different initial conditions and with various control parameters. A comparison study in simulation reveals the advantage of the proposed method over the conventional method in terms of avoiding infeasibility. The experimental study verifies the applicability of the method to real robots. The development procedure of the method from theoretical analysis to experimental validation provides a novel framework for multi-agent system coordinate control with complex dynamics. <italic>Note to Practitioners</italic>&#x2014;This paper gives a novel method to effectively cover a polygonal area using multiple constant-speed unicycle robots (CSUR) like wheeled robots and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (fUAV). Compared to the conventional approaches, our method allows these robots to cover a target region using circular orbits without departing the covered region. Also, the method satisfies common control saturation constraints in practice and can be implemented in a reliable distributed scheme. While the efficacy and correctness of the proposed method are rigorously proved using control theory, we also provide necessary interpretive elucidations to explain its underlying mechanism and selection rationale. The method is validated to be effective for wheeled robots in experimental studies, although it can also be applied to fUAVs in theory.