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US 10,764,137 B2Granted
Signal-flow architecture for cooperative control and resource allocation
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsThomas A. Baran, Alan V. Oppenheim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and supporting systems for allocating a resource among multiple agents are disclosed. Multipoint-to-multipoint communication is established among the agents, with each agent using an amount of a resource. A first agent receives information associated with the resource usage of a second agent and determines the difference in resource usage between itself and the second agent. Based in part on the resource usage difference, the first agent is controlled to modify its use of the resource.
Claims21
A method of allocating physical space among a plurality of agents, the method comprising:
- establishing multipoint-to-multipoint communication among a plurality of agents, each agent comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the agent to control use of physical space by the agent;
- receiving, at a first agent in the plurality of agents, from a second agent in the plurality of agents, information associated with use of the physical space by the second agent, wherein the information associated with use of the physical space by the second agent comprises an output of a first control function that uses as input a difference in physical location between the second agent and the first agent;
- measuring, by the first agent, a difference in physical location between the first agent and the second agent;
- receiving, at the first agent, from a third agent in the plurality of agents, information associated with use of the physical space by the third agent, wherein the information associated with use of the physical space by the third agent comprises an output of a second control function that uses as input a difference in physical location between the third agent and the first agent;
- measuring, by the first agent, a difference in physical location between the first agent and the third agent;
- calculating a first output of a third control function using the difference in physical location between the first agent and the second agent as input to the third control function;
- calculating a second output of the third control function using the difference in physical location between the first agent and the third agent as input to the third control function;
- calculating a control input signal by subtracting (i) a sum of the output of the first control function and the output of the second control function from (ii) a sum of the first output of the third control function and the second output of the third control function;
- and
- controlling the first agent to modify its use of the physical space based on the control input signal.
7 more elements
A system for allocating physical space among a plurality of agents, the system comprising:
- a plurality of agents in multipoint-to-multipoint communication, each agent comprising (i) a transmitter/receiver for communicating with other agents and (ii) a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the agent to control use of physical space by the agent, wherein a first agent in the plurality of agents is configured to:
- receive, from a second agent in the plurality of agents, information associated with use of the physical space by the second agent, wherein the information associated with use of the physical space by the second agent comprises an output of a first control function that uses as input a difference in physical location between the second agent and the first agent;
- measure a difference in physical location between the first agent and the second agent;
- receive, from a third agent in the plurality of agents, information associated with use of the physical space by the third agent, wherein the information associated with use of the physical space by the third agent comprises an output of a second control function that uses as input a difference in physical location between the third agent and the first agent;
- measure, by the first agent, a difference in physical location between the first agent and the third agent;
- calculate a first output of a third control function using the difference in physical location between the first agent and the second agent as input to the third control function;
- calculate a second output of the third control function using the difference in physical location between the first agent and the third agent as input to the third control function;
- calculate a control input signal by subtracting (i) a sum of the output of the first control function and the output of the second control function from (ii) a sum of the first output of the third control function and the second output of the third control function;
- and
- control the first agent to modify its use of the physical space based on the control input signal.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.