Distributed Control of Collaborative Multi-Agent Systems using Interpreted Petri Nets through Indirect Interactions

Abstract

This work introduces a framework to describe and control collaborative systems in a distributed manner. Within this framework, both a set of agents and a specification to be accomplished are modelled using Interpreted Petri nets. The agents’ output states are partially known, and the specification describes a subset of relevant states to be reached by the agents without explicitly detailing which agents are involved in achieving such specification or the precise states that each agent must reach individually. This framework enables agents to collaboratively discover how to fulfill a shared, high-level specification, even in the absence of detailed instructions. The approach promises to enhance scalability, flexibility, and efficiency in collaborative settings. For illustrative purposes, a simplified collaborative assembly system is showcased to demonstrate the proposed framework.