Cloud-supported coverage control for persistent surveillance missions

Abstract

A cloud-supported coverage control scheme is proposed for multi-agent, persistent surveillance missions. This approach decouples assignment from motion planning operations in a modular framework. Coverage assignments and surveillance parameters are managed on the cloud and transmitted to mobile agents via unplanned and asynchronous exchanges. These updates promote load-balancing, while also allowing effective pairing with typical path planners. Namely, when paired with a planner satisfying mild assumptions, the scheme ensures that (i) coverage regions remain connected and collectively cover the environment, (ii) regions may go uncovered only over bounded intervals, (iii) collisions (sensing overlaps) are avoided, and (iv) for time-invariant event likelihoods, a Pareto optimal configuration is produced in finite time. The scheme is illustrated in simulated missions.