Connectivity Maintenance through Unlabeled Spanning Tree Matching

Abstract

AbstractA key function of mobile networks is the ability to dynamically reshape itself to any desired geometry. Lacking absolute position awareness, agents often rely on distance-limited inter-agent spatial measurements to maintain state awareness. Methods of formation control must therefore ensure a minimal level of persistent pairwise measurement feedback throughout transition, giving rise to the classic connectivity maintenance problem. To address this problem, we propose a method of structure-preserving assignment, matching agents to desired positions such that persistent global connectivity is naturally and automatically satisfied under smooth transition. Compared to other approaches, this complementary technique reduces reliance on aggressive or costly mid-flight formation control protocols. The technique is shown to scale and even improve with network size.