Collision avoidance and connectivity preservation using asymmetric barrier Lyapunov function with time-varying distance-constraints

Collision avoidance and connectivity preservation are two contrasting issues in multi-agent formation control problems. This paper proposes a distributed control design methodology to stabilize a desired formation shape in a multi-agent system while incorporating these two factors simultaneously. Contrary to a simplifying point mass assumption, we consider that agents in the group are characterized by a circular disk-type structure of different radii. Collision avoidance and connectivity preservation in the group are handled by applying time-varying constraints on the inter-center distances among neighboring agents. The concept of asymmetric time-varying barrier Lyapunov function is exploited to derive the stabilizing distributed control law, under a mild assumption on the initial conditions and a feasibility condition relating dimensions of the desired formation with the lower and upper limits of the barrier functions. We also obtain analytical bounds on the various post-design signals and illustrate the results through a simulation example. Finally, the effect of input saturation is discussed, and a comparison with the sensing-region-dependent potential function-based control design approach from the existing literature is provided.