Collision avoidance for multi-robot systems with coincident paths based on fictitious collision points using nonlinear formulation

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of collision avoidance along specified paths in multiple mobile robot systems. These collisions can be represented by points of intersection or coincident segments between paths. The proposal of the work is to model these segments where the collision is possible through fictitious points. In addition, the advantages of the nonlinear versus mixed integer linear formulation, widely used in the literature, are verified. Comparisons were made and it’s proved the superiority of the proposed method with respect to complexity, computational time and inclusion of nonlinear constraints. Moreover, the simulations performed using this technique indicate that the method is promissory for applications in real systems.