Search-Trajectory Optimization: Part I, Formulation and Theory

Abstract

We formulate a search-trajectory optimization problem, with multiple searchers looking for multiple targets in continuous time and space, as a parameter-distributed optimal control model. The problem minimizes the probability that all of the searchers fail to detect any of the targets during a planning horizon. We construct discretization schemes and prove that they lead to consistent approximations in the sense of E. Polak.