searching dynamic agents with a team of mobile robots搜索具有一组移动机器人的动态代理.pdfVIP

Sensors 2012, 12, 8815-8831; doi:10.3390/s120708815 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 /journal/sensors Article Searching Dynamic Agents with a Team of Mobile Robots ´ Miguel Julia *, Arturo Gil and Oscar Reinoso Systems Engineering and Automation Department, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, Avda. Universidad s/n. Edif. Quorum V, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain; E-Mails: arturo.gil@umh.es (A.G.); o.reinoso@umh.es (O.R.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: mjulia@umh.es; Tel.: +34-965-665-2435; Fax: +34-965-665-8979. Received: 9 May 2012; in revised form: 15 June 2012 / Accepted : 20 June 2012 / Published: 27 June 2012 Abstract: This paper presents a new algorithm that allows a team of robots to cooperatively search for a set of moving targets. An estimation of the areas of the environment that are more likely to hold a target agent is obtained using a grid-based Bayesian filter. The robot sensor readings and the maximum speed of the moving targets are used in order to update the grid. This representation is used in a search algorithm that commands the robots to those areas that are more likely to present target agents. This algorithm splits the environment in a tree of connected regions using dynamic programming. This tree is used in order to decide the destination for each robot in a coordinated manner. The algorithm has been successfully tested in known and unknown environments showing the validity of the approach. Keywords: dynamic agent search;