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Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Del Vecchio, Domitilla
Author's Email Address	ddomitilla AT cds.caltech.edu
URN	etd-05272005-113928
Persistent URL	http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-05272005-113928
Title	State estimation in multi-agent decision and control systems
Degree	PhD
Option	Control and Dynamical Systems
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Richard M. Murray Committee Chair Eric Klavins Committee Member Jerrold E. Marsden Committee Member John Comstock Doyle Committee Member Pietro Perona Committee Member
Keywords	multi-agent systems partial order hybrid systems state estimation
Date of Defense	2005-03-29
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract This thesis addresses the problem of estimating the state in multi-agent decision and control systems. In particular, a novel approach to state estimation is developed that uses partial order theory in order to overcome some of the severe computational complexity issues arising in multi-agent systems. Within this approach, state estimation algorithms are developed that enjoy provable convergence properties and are scalable with the number of agents. The dynamic evolution of the systems under study are characterized by the interplay of continuous and discrete variables. Continuous variables usually represent physical quantities such as position, velocity, voltage, and current, while the discrete variables usually represent quantities internal to the decision protocol that are used for coordination, communication, and control. Within the proposed state estimation approach, the estimation of continuous and discrete variables is developed in the same mathematical framework as a joint continuous-discrete space is considered for the estimator. This way, the dichotomy between the continuous and discrete world is overcome for the purpose of state estimation. Application examples are considered, which include the state estimation in competitive multi-robot systems and in multi-agent discrete event systems, and the monitoring of distributed environments.
Files	Filename       Size       Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)     28.8 Modem   56K Modem   ISDN (64 Kb)   ISDN (128 Kb)   Higher-speed Access    Thesis.pdf 752.98 Kb 00:03:29 00:01:47 00:01:34 00:00:47 00:00:04