Equilibrium Unit Based Localized Affine Formation Maneuver for Multi-agent Systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces an equilibrium unit based structure and a distributed construction method to improve affine formation maneuvering in multi-agent systems, enabling better localizability and self-reconstruction capabilities.

Contribution

It proposes a novel equilibrium unit framework and a layerable directed graph concept to achieve affine localizability without generic assumptions in MASs.

Findings

Guarantees non-zero weights in equilibrium units.

Provides a sufficient condition for affine localizability.

Enables self-reconstruction in multi-agent swarms.

Abstract

Current affine formation maneuver of multi-agent systems (MASs) relys on the affine localizability determined by generic assumption for nominal configuration and global construction manner. This does not live up to practical constraints of robot swarms. In this paper, an equilibrium unit based structure is proposed to achieve affine localizability. In an equilibrium unit, existence of non-zero weights between nodes is guaranteed and their summation is proved to be non-zero. To remove the generic assumption, a notion of layerable directed graph is introduced, based on which a sufficient condition associated equilibrium unit is presented to establish affine localizability condition. Within this framework, distributed local construction manner is performed by a designed equilibrium unit construction (EUC) method. With the help of localized communication criterion (LCC) and localized sensing based affine formation maneuver control (LSAFMC) protocol, self-reconstruction capability is possessed by MASs when nodes are added to or removed from the swarms.