Finite-Time Coverage Control for Multiagent Systems With Unidirectional Motion on a Closed Curve

The finite-time coverage control problem for networked mobile agents with continuous-time dynamics and unidirectional motion constraint on a closed curve is addressed in this article. The objective is to minimize a coverage cost function in finite time which characterizes the largest arrival time from the multiagent system to any point on the curve. Low gain feedback is employed to design the distributed coverage control laws for the agents with different input constraints due to their limited movement capabilities. An upper bound on each low gain is also provided by showing that the distance between the neighboring agents is always lower and upper bounded. Under the proposed control laws, the networked mobile agents can be driven to the optimal configuration, minimizing the coverage cost function in finite time. Due to the unidirectional motion of the agents, there exists at least one agent which remains static throughout the coverage task. As a result, a less conservative upper bound on the low gains is derived, which provides the possibility of better convergence rates of the proposed coverage control laws.