  A multi-agent coverage problem is considered with energy-constrained agents.
The objective of this paper is to compare the coverage performance between
centralized and decentralized approaches. To this end, a near-optimal
centralized coverage control method is developed under energy depletion and
repletion constraints. The optimal coverage formation corresponds to the
locations of agents where the coverage performance is maximized. The optimal
charging formation corresponds to the locations of agents with one agent fixed
at the charging station and the remaining agents maximizing the coverage
performance. We control the behavior of this cooperative multi-agent system by
switching between the optimal coverage formation and the optimal charging
formation. Finally, the optimal dwell times at coverage locations, charging
time, and agent trajectories are determined so as to maximize coverage over a
given time interval. In particular, our controller guarantees that at any time
there is at most one agent leaving the team for energy repletion.
