Distributed Moving Target Fencing in a Regular Polygon Formation

Abstract

This article proposes a distributed controller for a network of agents of second-order dynamics to fence a moving target of unknown velocity within their convex hull. Moreover, the agents form a regular polygon formation and avoid collision during the entire evolution. In the control scheme, the agents are not necessarily labeled and the nearest angle rules are applied. Each controller is composed of the functionalities of estimation of the target’s velocity, regulation of distance between the agents and the target, and angle repulsion among agents resulting in an equal distribution. The latter two also guarantee collision avoidance. The asymptotical behavior of the closed-loop system is rigorously analyzed, especially subject to the velocity estimation error. The effectiveness of the controller is also demonstrated by numerical simulation.