Coordination of multiple agents with double-integrator dynamics under generalized interaction topologies

Experimental Investigation of Relative Localization Estimation in a Coordinated Formation Control of Low-Cost Underwater Drones

This study presents a relative localization estimation method for a group of low-cost underwater drones (l-UD), which only uses visual feedback provided by an on-board camera and IMU data. It aims to design a distributed controller for a group of robots to reach a specific shape. This controller is based on a leader-follower architecture. The main contribution is to determine the relative position between the l-UD without using digital communication and sonar positioning methods. In addition, the proposed implementation of the EKF to fuse the vision data and the IMU data improves the prediction capability in cases where the robot is out of view of the camera. This approach allows the study and testing of distributed control algorithms for low-cost underwater drones. Finally, three robot operating system (ROS) platform-based BlueROVs are used in an experiment in a near-realistic environment. The experimental validation of the approach has been obtained by investigating different scenarios.

Design of a computationally efficient observer-based distributed fault detection and isolation scheme in second-order networked control systems

This paper presents a novel directional observer-based fault detection and isolation scheme for second-order networked control systems (NCS). The directional unknown input observer (UIO) tool is exploited to study the problem of distributed fault detection and isolation (FDI). Two design schemes with global and partial/local network models are proposed to solve the distributed FDI problem. Thresholds are computed for the application of the proposed schemes in a noisy environment. In addition, the salient features of the proposed schemes are that both fault detection and fault isolation are achieved in a single step using a single observer. The schemes are applied to power system models to validate their results. A detailed comparison with existing FDI schemes is also provided, which clearly shows the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in terms of computational requirements.

Distributed Controller Design and Analysis of Second-Order Signed Networks With Communication Delays

This article concentrates on dealing with distributed control problems for second-order signed networks subject to not only cooperative but also antagonistic interactions. A distributed control protocol is proposed based on the nearest neighbor rules, with which necessary and sufficient conditions are developed for consensus of second-order signed networks whose communication topologies are described by strongly connected signed digraphs. Besides, another distributed control protocol in the presence of a communication delay is designed, for which a time margin of the delay can be determined simultaneously. It is shown that under the delay margin condition, necessary and sufficient consensus results can be derived even though second-order signed networks with a communication delay are considered. Simulation examples are included to illustrate the validity of our established consensus results of second-order signed networks.

Bipartite Fixed-Time Output Consensus of Heterogeneous Linear Multiagent Systems

In this article, the bipartite fixed-time output consensus problem of heterogeneous linear multiagent systems (MASs) is investigated. First, a distributed bipartite fixed-time observer is proposed, by which the follower can estimate the leader's state. The estimate value is the same as the leader's state in modulus but may not in sign due to the existence of antagonistic interactions between agents. Then, an adaptive bipartite fixed-time observer is further proposed. It is fully distributed without involving any global information. This adaptive bipartite fixed-time observer can estimate not only the leader's system matrix but also the leader's state. Next, distributed nonlinear control laws are developed based on two observers, respectively, such that the bipartite fixed-time output consensus of heterogeneous linear MASs can be achieved. Moreover, the upper bound of the settling time is independent of initial states of agents. Finally, the examples are given to demonstrate the results.

Limited-Budget Output Consensus for Descriptor Multiagent Systems With Energy Constraints

This article deals with limited-budget output consensus for descriptor multiagent systems with two types of switching communication topologies, that is, switching connected ones and jointly connected ones. First, a singular dynamic output feedback control protocol with switching communication topologies is proposed on the basis of the observable decomposition, where an energy constraint is involved and protocol states of neighboring agents are utilized to derive a new two-step design approach of gain matrices. Then, limited-budget output consensus problems are transformed into asymptotic stability ones and a valid candidate of the output consensus function is determined. Furthermore, sufficient conditions for limited-budget output consensus design and analysis for two types of switching communication topologies are proposed, respectively, and an explicit expression of the output consensus function is given, which is identical for two types of switching communication topologies. Finally, two numerical simulations are shown to demonstrate theoretical conclusions.

Distributed fault detection and isolation in second order networked systems in a cyber-physical environment

Modern industrial processes and cyber-physical systems (CPS) are prone to anomalies both due to cyber and physical perturbations. Cyber disturbances or attacks being more hazardous may give birth to a series of multiple coordinated faults. In order to detect and isolate such faults, this paper proposes a novel distributed fault detection and isolation scheme for second-order networked systems. The system is assumed to be working in a cyber-physical environment where it is likely to face multiple simultaneous faults. Each node has access to measurements of states of its neighboring nodes. A distributed fault detection and isolation filter (DFDIF) is designed such that fault detection and fault isolation can be obtained in a single step. Using the proposed filter, each node can detect and isolate multiple simultaneous faults in its neighboring nodes. The detection and isolation of faults with a single filter at each node reduces the overall computational burden of distributed fault detection and isolation (DFDI) scheme. The proposed framework is tested for power network and robotic formations. Finally, a comparison with existing techniques is provided to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Robust Second-Order Consensus Using a Fixed-Time Convergent Sliding Surface in Multiagent Systems

Faster convergence is always sought in many applications. Designing fixed-time control has recently gained much attention since, for this type of control structure, the convergence time of the states does not depend on initial conditions, unlike other control methods providing faster convergence. This paper proposes a new distributed algorithm for second-order consensus in multiagent systems by using a full-order fixed-time convergent sliding surface. The stability analysis is performed using the Lyapunov function and bi-homogenous property. Moreover, the proposed control is smooth and free from any singularity. The robustness of the proposed scheme is verified both in the presence of Lipschitz disturbances and uncertainties in the network. The proposed method is compared with a state-of-the-art method to show the effectiveness.

Robust finite time cooperative control of second order agents:A Multi-input Multi-output higher order super-twisting based approach

This paper studies the formation of multiple mobile agents with double integrator dynamics and their target tracking. An algorithm consisting of an observer and a feedback control law of the nonsmooth type is proposed for the purpose of achieving finite-time formation and target tracking. The development is based on the Multi-input Multi-output (MIMO) super-twisting like approach aiming at finite time convergence without chattering. In addition to the formation; tracking, chattering prevention and robustness is also provided by the sliding mode mechanism which is demonstrated by simulations.

Pose Consensus of Multiple Robots with Time-Delays Using Neural Networks

This paper proposes a novel control scheme based on Radial Basis Artificial Neural Network to solve the leader–follower and leaderless pose (position and orientation) consensus problems in the Special Euclidean space of dimension three (SE(3)). The controller is designed for robot networks composed of heterogeneous (kinematically and dynamically different) and uncertain robots with variable time-delays in the interconnection. The paper derives a sufficient condition on the controller gains and the robot interconnection, and using Barbalat’s Lemma, both consensus problems are solved. The proposed approach employs the singularity-free, unit-quaternions to represent the orientation of the end-effectors in theSE(3). The significance and advantages of the proposed control scheme are that it solves the two pose consensus problems for heterogeneous robot networks considering variable time-delays in the interconnection without orientation representation singularities, and the controller does not require to know the dynamic model of the robots. The performance of the proposed controller is illustrated via simulations with a heterogeneous robot network composed of robots with 6-DoF and 7-DoF.

Adaptive Consensus Control of Nonlinear Multiagent Systems With Unknown Control Directions Under Stochastic Topologies

The consensus problem over high-order nonlinear multiagent systems with the Brunovsky-type model is studied. The model parameters and control directions of agents are supposed to be unknown. Hence, based on Nussbaum-type functions, an adaptive protocol is proposed, which guarantees achieving consensus in the network when the parameters and control directions of the agents are unknown and unidentical. The main contribution of this paper (compared with the existing similar results in the literature) is to guarantee achieving consensus in networks of agents when the communication topology is not connected constantly, and communication links stochastically switch over time. It is shown that if the probability of the network connectivity is not zero, under some conditions, almost sure consensus can be achieved. Illustrative examples verify the accuracy of the proposed consensus protocol.

Distributed Finite-Time Cooperative Control of Multiple High-Order Nonholonomic Mobile Robots

The consensus problem of multiple nonholonomic mobile robots in the form of high-order chained structure is considered in this paper. Based on the model features and the finite-time control technique, a finite-time cooperative controller is explicitly constructed which guarantees that the states consensus is achieved in a finite time. As an application of the proposed results, finite-time formation control of multiple wheeled mobile robots is studied and a finite-time formation control algorithm is proposed. To show effectiveness of the proposed approach, a simulation example is given.

Network-Based Practical Consensus of Heterogeneous Nonlinear Multiagent Systems

This paper studies network-based practical leader-following consensus problem of heterogeneous multiagent systems with Lipschitz nonlinear dynamics under both fixed and switching topologies. Considering the effect of network-induced delay, a network-based leader-following consensus protocol with heterogeneous gain matrix is proposed for each follower agent. By employing Lyapunov-Krasovskii method, a sufficient condition for designing the network-based consensus controller gain is derived such that the leader-following consensus error exponentially converges to a bounded region under a fixed topology. Correspondingly, the proposed design approach is then extended to the case of switching topology. Two numerical examples with networked Chua's circuits are given to show the efficiency of the design method proposed in this paper.

Rigidity-Based Multiagent Layered Formation Control

This paper provides a solution to the nonplanar multiagent formation control problem using graph rigidity. We consider a 3-D multiagent formation control where multiple agents are operating in one plane and some other agents are operating outside of that plane. This can be referred to as a layered formation control where the objective is for all agents to cooperatively acquire a predefined formation shape using a decentralized control law. The proposed control strategy is based on regulating the interagent distances. A rigorous stability analysis is presented that guarantees convergence of these distances to desired values. Simulation results are presented to support the theoretical results.

Output Consensus of Heterogeneous Linear Multi-Agent Systems by Distributed Event-Triggered/Self-Triggered Strategy

This paper addresses the output consensus problem of heterogeneous linear multi-agent systems. We first propose a novel distributed event-triggered control scheme. It is shown that, with the proposed control scheme, the output consensus problem can be solved if two matrix equations are satisfied. Then, we further propose a novel self-triggered control scheme, with which continuous monitoring is avoided. By introducing a fixed timer into both event- and self-triggered control schemes, Zeno behavior can be ruled out for each agent. The effectiveness of the event- and self-triggered control schemes is illustrated by an example.

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Consensus of Second-Order Multiagent Systems Under Directed Topologies Without Global Gain Dependency

The consensus problem for second-order multiagent systems with absolute velocity damping under directed topologies is investigated. In contrast to the existing results, which rely on a sufficiently large common absolute velocity damping gain above a lower bound dependent on global information, this paper focuses on novel algorithms to overcome this limitation. A novel consensus algorithm, where different agents use different absolute velocity damping gains, is first proposed. In the absence of delays, based on a system transformation method, the consensus problem for second-order multiagent systems is converted into that for first-order multiagent systems with the agent number doubled. Necessary and sufficient conditions are then derived under directed topologies by relating the topologies associated with the doubled number of agents and the original team of agents. In the presence of multiple constant delays, based on a further system transformation method, the consensus problem for second-order multiagent systems is converted into the stability problem for corresponding systems. Necessary and sufficient conditions are presented to guarantee consensus under a directed fixed topology. For systems with a uniform constant delay, more concrete necessary and sufficient conditions on how large the delay can be to guarantee consensus is given. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results.

On the Bipartite Consensus for Generic Linear Multiagent Systems With Input Saturation

The bipartite consensus problem for a group of homogeneous generic linear agents with input saturation under directed interaction topology is examined. It is established that if each agent is asymptotically null controllable with bounded controls and the interaction topology described by a signed digraph is structurally balanced and contains a spanning tree, then the semi-global bipartite consensus can be achieved for the linear multiagent system by a linear feedback controller with the control gain being designed via the low gain feedback technique. The convergence analysis of the proposed control strategy is performed by means of the Lyapunov method which can also specify the convergence rate. At last, the validity of the theoretical findings is demonstrated by two simulation examples.

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Consensus of Fractional-Order Multiagent Systems via Sampled-Data Control

In this paper, the consensus of fractional-order multiagent systems (FOMASs) is considered via sampled-data control over directed communication topology with the order 0 <; α <; 1. Two cases are considered. One is FOMASs without leader, and the other is FOMASs with a leader. For each case, by applying matrix theory and algebraic graph theory, some algebraic-type necessary and sufficient conditions based on the sampling period, the fractional-order, the coupling gain, and the structure of the network are established for achieving consensus of the system. Moreover, for the network with a dynamic leader, the sampling period, the coupling gain, and the spectrum of the Laplacian matrix are carefully devised, respectively. Finally, several simulation examples are employed to validate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.

Leader-Following Consensus for Linear and Lipschitz Nonlinear Multiagent Systems With Quantized Communication

This paper studies the leader-following consensus problem for linear and Lipschitz nonlinear multiagent systems where the communication topology has a directed spanning tree with the leader as the root. Due to the constraints of communication bandwidth and storage space, agents can only receive uniform quantized information. We first consider the leader-following consensus problem for linear multiagent systems via quantized control. Then, in order to reduce the communication load, an event-triggered control strategy is investigated to solve the consensus problem for linear multiagent systems with uniform quantization. It is shown that leader-following practical consensus can be achieved and no Zeno behavior occurs in this case. Furthermore, the proposed control strategies are extended to investigate the leader-following consensus problem for multiagent systems with Lipschitz nonlinear dynamics. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.

Consensus Problem Over High-Order Multiagent Systems With Uncertain Nonlinearities Under Deterministic and Stochastic Topologies

The leaderless consensus problem over a class of high-order nonlinear multiagent systems (MASs) is studied. A robust protocol is proposed which guarantees achieving consensus in the network in the presences of uncertainties in agents models. Achieving consensus in the case of stochastic links failure is studied as well. Based on the concept super-martingales, it is shown that if the probability of the network connectivity is not zero, under some conditions, achieving almost sure consensus in the network can be guaranteed. Despite existing consensus protocols for high-order stochastic networks, the proposed consensus protocol in this paper is robust to uncertain nonlinearities in the agents models, and it can be designed independent of knowledge on the set of feasible topologies (topologies with nonzero probabilities). Numerical examples for a team of single-link flexible joint manipulators with fourth-order models verify the accuracy of the proposed strategy for consensus control of high-order MASs with uncertain nonlinearities.

Consensus and Stability Analysis of Networked Multiagent Predictive Control Systems

This paper is concerned with the consensus and stability problem of multiagent control systems via networks with communication delays and data loss. A networked multiagent predictive control scheme is proposed to achieve output consensus and also compensate for the communication delays and data loss actively. The necessary and sufficient conditions of achieving both consensus and stability of the closed-loop networked multiagent control systems are derived. An important result that is obtained is that the consensus and stability of closed-loop networked multiagent predictive control systems are not related to the communication delays and data loss. An example illustrates the performance of the networked multiagent predictive control scheme.

Distributed $k$ -Means Algorithm and Fuzzy $c$ -Means Algorithm for Sensor Networks Based on Multiagent Consensus Theory

This paper is concerned with developing a distributed k-means algorithm and a distributed fuzzy c-means algorithm for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) where each node is equipped with sensors. The underlying topology of the WSN is supposed to be strongly connected. The consensus algorithm in multiagent consensus theory is utilized to exchange the measurement information of the sensors in WSN. To obtain a faster convergence speed as well as a higher possibility of having the global optimum, a distributed k-means++ algorithm is first proposed to find the initial centroids before executing the distributed k-means algorithm and the distributed fuzzy c-means algorithm. The proposed distributed k-means algorithm is capable of partitioning the data observed by the nodes into measure-dependent groups which have small in-group and large out-group distances, while the proposed distributed fuzzy c-means algorithm is capable of partitioning the data observed by the nodes into different measure-dependent groups with degrees of membership values ranging from 0 to 1. Simulation results show that the proposed distributed algorithms can achieve almost the same results as that given by the centralized clustering algorithms.

A Q-Learning Approach to Flocking With UAVs in a Stochastic Environment

In the past two decades, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have demonstrated their efficacy in supporting both military and civilian applications, where tasks can be dull, dirty, dangerous, or simply too costly with conventional methods. Many of the applications contain tasks that can be executed in parallel, hence the natural progression is to deploy multiple UAVs working together as a force multiplier. However, to do so requires autonomous coordination among the UAVs, similar to swarming behaviors seen in animals and insects. This paper looks at flocking with small fixed-wing UAVs in the context of a model-free reinforcement learning problem. In particular, Peng's Q(λ) with a variable learning rate is employed by the followers to learn a control policy that facilitates flocking in a leader-follower topology. The problem is structured as a Markov decision process, where the agents are modeled as small fixed-wing UAVs that experience stochasticity due to disturbances such as winds and control noises, as well as weight and balance issues. Learned policies are compared to ones solved using stochastic optimal control (i.e., dynamic programming) by evaluating the average cost incurred during flight according to a cost function. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed learning approach at enabling agents to learn how to flock in a leader-follower topology, while operating in a nonstationary stochastic environment.

Cooperative Output Regulation of Heterogeneous Linear Multi-Agent Systems by Event-Triggered Control

In this paper, we consider the cooperative output regulation problem of heterogeneous linear multi-agent systems (MASs) by event-triggered control. We first develop an event-triggering mechanism for leader-following consensus of homogeneous MASs. Then by proposing an internal reference model for each agent, a novel distributed event-triggered control scheme is developed to solve the cooperative output regulation problem of heterogeneous MASs. Furthermore, a novel self-triggered control scheme is also proposed, such that continuous monitoring of measurement errors can be avoided. The feasibility of both proposed control schemes is studied by excluding Zeno behavior for each agent. An example is finally provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the control schemes.

Content modification attacks on consensus seeking multi-agent system with double-integrator dynamics

In this paper, vulnerability of a distributed consensus seeking multi-agent system (MAS) with double-integrator dynamics against edge-bound content modification cyber attacks is studied. In particular, we define a specific edge-bound content modification cyber attack called malignant content modification attack (MCoMA), which results in unbounded growth of an appropriately defined group disagreement vector. Properties of MCoMA are utilized to design detection and mitigation algorithms so as to impart resilience in the considered MAS against MCoMA. Additionally, the proposed detection mechanism is extended to detect the general edge-bound content modification attacks (not just MCoMA). Finally, the efficacies of the proposed results are illustrated through numerical simulations.

Notion of Control-Law Module and Modular Framework of Cooperative Transportation Using Multiple Nonholonomic Robotic Agents With Physical Rigid-Formation-Motion Constraints

Consider cooperative manipulation and transportation of a rigid body by multiple two-wheeled nonholonomic robotic agents that attached to it, the agents are then physically constrained to maintain rigid-formation-motion (RFM); thus the system has two physical motion-constraints at two levels: 1) the nonholonomic constraint at the individual level and 2) the RFM constraint at the system level. First, we provide a novel notion: the encapsulation of a category of control with certain constraints for one motion-mode as a control-law module (CLM), any concrete control law with such constraints is called an instance of the CLM; here two CLMs are provided as the examples. Then we provide an RFM control framework by decomposing a feasible RFM configuration-path as a concatenation of partitions, with one type of CLMs for each partition; thus any instance for each partition can be designed separately and incorporated easily with the interchangeable property, which makes the framework modular, flexible, and adaptive, to satisfy different kinematics requirements. As a result, the transportation is achieved by RFM control of agents. Also, the RFM framework implies a valuable rigid-closure-method for accurate rigid body manipulation even when agents are not attached to the body.

A Heuristic Distributed Task Allocation Method for Multivehicle Multitask Problems and Its Application to Search and Rescue Scenario

Using distributed task allocation methods for cooperating multivehicle systems is becoming increasingly attractive. However, most effort is placed on various specific experimental work and little has been done to systematically analyze the problem of interest and the existing methods. In this paper, a general scenario description and a system configuration are first presented according to search and rescue scenario. The objective of the problem is then analyzed together with its mathematical formulation extracted from the scenario. Considering the requirement of distributed computing, this paper then proposes a novel heuristic distributed task allocation method for multivehicle multitask assignment problems. The proposed method is simple and effective. It directly aims at optimizing the mathematical objective defined for the problem. A new concept of significance is defined for every task and is measured by the contribution to the local cost generated by a vehicle, which underlies the key idea of the algorithm. The whole algorithm iterates between a task inclusion phase, and a consensus and task removal phase, running concurrently on all the vehicles where local communication exists between them. The former phase is used to include tasks into a vehicle's task list for optimizing the overall objective, while the latter is to reach consensus on the significance value of tasks for each vehicle and to remove the tasks that have been assigned to other vehicles. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed method is able to provide a conflict-free solution and can achieve outstanding performance in comparison with the consensus-based bundle algorithm.

Consensus of Linear Multi-Agent Systems by Distributed Event-Triggered Strategy

This paper studies the consensus problem of multi-agent systems with general linear dynamics. We propose a novel event-triggered control scheme with some desirable features, namely, distributed, asynchronous, and independent. It is shown that consensus of the controlled multi-agent system can be reached asymptotically. The feasibility of the event-triggered strategy is further verified by the exclusion of both singular triggering and Zeno behavior. Moreover, a self-triggered algorithm is developed, where the next triggering time instant for each agent is determined based on its local information at the previous triggering time instant. Continuous monitoring of measurement errors is thus avoided. The effectiveness of the proposed control schemes is demonstrated by two examples.

Popov-Type Criterion for Consensus in Nonlinearly Coupled Networks

This paper addresses consensus problems in nonlinearly coupled networks of dynamic agents described by a common and arbitrary linear model. Interagent interaction rules are uncertain but satisfy the standard sector condition with known sector bounds; both the agent's model and interaction topology are time-invariant. A novel frequency-domain criterion for consensus is offered that is similar to and extends the classical Popov's absolute stability criterion.

Studies on resilient control through multiagent consensus networks subject to disturbances

Resiliency is one of the most critical objectives found in complex industrial applications today and designing control systems to provide resiliency is an open problem. This paper proposes resilient control design guidelines for industrial systems that can be modeled as networked multiagent consensus systems subject to disturbances or noise. We give a general analysis of multiagent consensus networks in the presence of different disturbances from the input-to-output stability point of view. Using a nonsingular linear transformation, some necessary and sufficient results are established for disturbed multiagent consensus networks by taking advantage of the input-to-state stability theory, based on which the disturbance rejection performance is analyzed in three cases separated by the spaces of disturbances and state disagreements between agents. It is shown that the linear matrix inequality technique can be adopted to determine the optimal disturbance rejection indexes for all the three cases. In addition, two illustrative numerical examples are given to demonstrate the derived consensus results for different types of directed graphs and subject to different classes of disturbances.

Distributed fault detection and isolation resilient to network model uncertainties

The ability to maintain state awareness in the face of unexpected and unmodeled errors and threats is a defining feature of a resilient control system. Therefore, in this paper, we study the problem of distributed fault detection and isolation (FDI) in large networked systems with uncertain system models. The linear networked system is composed of interconnected subsystems and may be represented as a graph. The subsystems are represented by nodes, while the edges correspond to the interconnections between subsystems. Considering faults that may occur on the interconnections and subsystems, as our first contribution, we propose a distributed scheme to jointly detect and isolate faults occurring in nodes and edges of the system. As our second contribution, we analyze the behavior of the proposed scheme under model uncertainties caused by the addition or removal of edges. Additionally, we propose a novel distributed FDI scheme based on local models and measurements that is resilient to changes outside of the local subsystem and achieves FDI. Our third contribution addresses the complexity reduction of the distributed FDI method, by characterizing the minimum amount of model information and measurements needed to achieve FDI and by reducing the number of monitoring nodes. The proposed methods can be fused to design a scalable and resilient distributed FDI architecture that achieves local FDI despite unknown changes outside the local subsystem. The proposed approach is illustrated by numerical experiments on the IEEE 118-bus power network benchmark.

Distributed finite-time containment control for double-integrator multiagent systems

In this paper, the distributed finite-time containment control problem for double-integrator multiagent systems with multiple leaders and external disturbances is discussed. In the presence of multiple dynamic leaders, by utilizing the homogeneous control technique, a distributed finite-time observer is developed for the followers to estimate the weighted average of the leaders' velocities at first. Then, based on the estimates and the generalized adding a power integrator approach, distributed finite-time containment control algorithms are designed to guarantee that the states of the followers converge to the dynamic convex hull spanned by those of the leaders in finite time. Moreover, as a special case of multiple dynamic leaders with zero velocities, the proposed containment control algorithms also work for the case of multiple stationary leaders without using the distributed observer. Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithms.

M-matrix strategies for pinning-controlled leader-following consensus in multiagent systems with nonlinear dynamics

This paper considers the leader-following consensus problem for multiagent systems with inherent nonlinear dynamics. Some M-matrix strategies are developed to address several challenging issues in the pinning control of multiagent systems by using algebraic graph theory and the properties of nonnegative matrices. It is shown that second-order leader-following consensus in a nonlinear multiagent system can be reached if the virtual leader has a directed path to every follower and a derived quantity is greater than a positive threshold. In particular, this paper analytically proves that leader-following consensus may be easier to be achieved by pinning more agents or increasing the pinning feedback gains. A selective pinning scheme is then proposed for nonlinear multiagent systems with directed network topologies. Numerical results are given to verify the theoretical analysis.

Coordination of multiagents interacting under independent position and velocity topologies

We consider the coordination control for multiagent systems in a very general framework where the position and velocity interactions among agents are modeled by independent graphs. Different algorithms are proposed and analyzed for different settings, including the case without leaders and the case with a virtual leader under fixed position and velocity interaction topologies, as well as the case with a group velocity reference signal under switching velocity interaction. It is finally shown that the proposed algorithms are feasible in achieving the desired coordination behavior provided the interaction topologies satisfy the weakest possible connectivity conditions. Such conditions relate only to the structure of the interactions among agents while irrelevant to their magnitudes and thus are easy to verify. Rigorous convergence analysis is preformed based on a combined use of tools from algebraic graph theory, matrix analysis as well as the Lyapunov stability theory.