Decentralized dynamic coverage control for mobile sensor networks in a non-convex environment

In this paper, we consider the problem of decentralized dynamic coverage control for mobile sensor networks in an environment with unknown obstacles. The goal is to cover each point in the mission domain but outside the obstacles to a desired level. Each agent is modeled as a point mass based on Newton's law. A decentralized control strategy is developed to accomplish the dynamic coverage task without collision with obstacles. Discrete update of the cooperative coverage is also considered to enhance the cooperation of the agents in the fleet. The collision avoidance and global convergence of the proposed control scheme are proved and illustrated via a simulation example. © 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society.