Using dynamic processing windows for robot group control

This paper presents a method for determining the feasible processing window for a leader robot that controls a group of follower robots. A processing window is defined as the time interval from the instant the platform starts collecting data to the moment the robot leader finishes planning and communicates with follower robots. The method determines the minimum processing window after considering the different bounds affecting the control of the robot, such as of robot´s processing power, robot sensors and the motion of the robots in the group. We present a derivation of the bounds that affect the processing window of the leader robot and an algorithm for determining the feasible window or adjusting the parameters that affect the processing window in case a feasible processing window cannot be achieved because of an overload condition. The application considered in this paper is a group of mobile robots that self deploy, retrieve, and reconfigure barrels to improve the safety of highway construction/maintenance workers.