Distributed optimization system
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorsJohn E. Hurtado, Clark R. Dohrmann, Rush D. Robinett, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A search system and method for controlling multiple agents to optimize an objective using distributed sensing and cooperative control. The search agent can be one or more physical agents, such as a robot, and can be software agents for searching cyberspace. The objective can be: chemical sources, temperature sources, radiation sources, light sources, evaders, trespassers, explosive sources, time dependent sources, time independent sources, function surfaces, maximization points, minimization points, and optimal control of a system such as a communication system, an economy, a crane, and a multi-processor computer.
Claims13
A distributed search system for controlling a plurality of agents to search an area for an objective, wherein the distributed search system comprises an agent search system associated with each agent, and wherein each agent search system comprises:
- a) a sensor;
- b) a communicator, responsive to the sensor and communicating a sensor reading;
- and
- c) a cooperative controller, responsive to sensor readings from some of the plurality of agents and generating an agent control strategy determined from the sensor reading and a cooperative approximation to the search area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.