Networked Event-Based Control of Moving Objects with Improved Position Estimation

This paper is concerned with the collision avoidance of moving objects in an uncertain environment. It proposes a networked event-based method for the position estimation of neighbouring objects with sparse communication. The objects are locally controlled and connected by a communication network. Each object possesses a predictor, an event generator and a trajectory planning unit. The trajectories are planned locally and are unknown to the neighbouring objects. For the purpose of collision avoidance the position of a nearby object must be estimated to react on the objects movement. Therefore, a set of possible future positions of this object is generated by the predictor. If the set violates a condition, communication is invoked and the predictor is reset. In contrast to literature, this approach does not require sensors or cameras for a measurement and the communication effort is low. The effectiveness of the method is illustrated by a simulation study with two quadrotors. Copyright (C) 2019. The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.