Distributed Multirobot Multitarget Tracking Using Heterogeneous Limited-Range Sensors

Abstract

Utilizing heterogeneous mobile sensors to actively gather information improves adaptability and reliability in extended environments. This article presents a cooperative multirobot multitarget search and tracking framework aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the heterogeneous sensor network, and consequently, improving the overall target tracking accuracy. The concept of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">normalized unused sensing capacity</i> is introduced to quantify the information a sensor is currently gathering relative to its theoretical maximum. This measurement can be computed using entirely local information and is applicable to various sensor models, distinguishing it from previous literature on the subject. It is then utilized to develop a heuristics distributed coverage control strategy for a heterogeneous sensor network, adaptively balancing the workload based on each sensor's current unused capacity. The algorithm is validated through a series of robot operating system (ROS) and <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">MATLAB</small> simulations, demonstrating superior results compared to standard approaches that do not account for heterogeneity or current usage rates.