An agent-based negotiation approach for balancing multiple coupled control domains

Abstract

Solving multi-objective multi-issue negotiation problems involving interdependent issues distributed among multiple control domains is inherent to most non-trivial cyber-physical systems. In these systems, the coordinated operation of interconnected subsystems performing autonomous control is essential to achieve overall system goals. In spite of its importance, the area has received limited attention to date. In this paper, we propose an innovative agent-based coordination approach for coordinating and controlling interconnected subsystems in cyber-physical systems with interdependent issues. The proposed approach can solve negotiation problems with interdependent issues across multiple coupled control domains. We demonstrate our approach by solving a coordination problem where a Combined Heat and Power Plant must allocate electricity for three commercial greenhouses to ensure the required plant yield. Our results show, that our approach is able to balance the individual requirements of multiple coupled control domains and thereby achieve a global equilibrium state for energy allocation and demand.