Optimal control for multi-agent persistent monitoring

The problem of persistent monitoring using a network of mobile agents is considered in this paper, where the goal is to drive the uncertainty of all targets to zero and patrol the whole mission domain. The uncertainty at each target point is assumed to evolve nonlinearly in time. Given a closed path, it is proved that multi-agent persistent monitoring with the minimum patrol period can be achieved by optimizing the agents' moving speed and initial locations on the path. It is also shown that the proposed approach provides a less conservative condition for persistent tasks with a constraint on the patrol period with respect to the existing works. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed persistent monitoring algorithm. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.