Multi-agent gradient climbing via extremum seeking control

A unified framework based on discrete-time gradient-based extremum seeking control is proposed to localise an extremum of an unknown scalar field distribution using a group of equipped with sensors. The controller utilises estimates of gradients of the field from local dithering sensor measurements collected by the mobile agents. It is assumed that distributed coordination which ensures uniform asymptotic stability with respect to a prescribed formation of the agents is employed. The framework is useful in that a broad range of nonlinear programming algorithms can be combined with a wide class of cooperative control laws to perform extreme source seeking. Semi-global practical asymptotically stable convergence to local extrema is established in the presence of bounded field sampling noise.