Ensuring Network Connectivity for Decentralized Planning in Dynamic Environments

Abstract

This work addresses the issue of network connectivity for a team of heterogeneous agents operating in a dynamic environment. The Consensus-Based Bundle Algorithm (CBBA), a distributed task allocation framework previously developed by the authors and their colleagues, is introduced as a methodology for complex mission planning, and extensions are proposed to address limited communication environments. In particular, CBBA with Relays leverages information available through already existing consensus phases to predict the network topology at select times and creates relay tasks to strengthen the connectivity of the network. By employing underutilized resources, the presented approach improves network connectivity without limiting the scope of the active agents, thus improving mission performance.