Distributed Task Allocation of Multiple Robots: A Control Perspective

The problem of dynamic task allocation in a distributed network of redundant robot manipulators for path-tracking with limited communications is investigated in this paper, where {k} fittest ones in a group of {n} redundant robot manipulators with {n>k} are allocated to execute an object tracking task. The problem is essentially challenging in view of the interplay of manipulator kinematics and the dynamic competition for activation among manipulators. To handle such an intricate problem, a distributed coordination control law is developed for the dynamic task allocation among multiple redundant robot manipulators with limited communications and with the aid of a consensus filter. In addition, a theorem and its proof are presented for guaranteeing the convergence and stability of the proposed distributed control law. Finally, an illustrative example is provided and analyzed to substantiate the efficacy of the proposed control law.