Semi-global Adaptive Bipartite Output Consensus of Multi-agent Systems Subject to Input Saturation and External Disturbance Under Switching Network

This paper investigates semi-global adaptive bipartite output consensus of continuous-time multi-agent systems (MASs) with input saturation and non-identical external disturbance under jointly connected switching network. An adaptive bipartite output consensus protocol of MASs is proposed by using low-gain feedback technology. It is turned out that semi-global adaptive bipartite consensus of MASs can be achieved under the protocol. Furthermore, the proposed control protocol can be applied for MASs under fixed network, and semi-global adaptive bipartite output consensus can be also achieved in this case. Finally, the simulations will verify the effectiveness of theoretical results.

     

切换拓扑下非线性多智能体系统自适应神经网络一致性

本文研究一类具有未知控制系数的非线性多智能体系统自适应神经网络分布式控制策略.首先,针对切换拓扑下具有未知控制系数的非线性多智能体系统一致性问题,提出一类自适应神经网络一致性控制算法.其中,采用神经网络函数逼近方法解决系统中的不确定性问题,并设计一项自适应光滑项处理有界扰动和神经网络函数逼近误差.随后,证明了切换拓扑下具有未知控制系数的非线性多智能体系统的一致性,并保证了闭环系统的有界性.此外,本文把相关的一致性算法扩展到了一般有向图含有一个有向生成树的情形.最后,通过仿真实例验证了本文所提算法的有效性.     

基于梯度估计的多智能体系统有限时间分布式优化

现有多智能体系统分布式优化算法大多具有渐近收敛速度,且要求系统的网络拓扑图为无向图或有向平衡图,在实际应用中具有一定的保守性.本文研究了具有强连通拓扑的多智能体系统有限时间分布式优化问题.首先,基于非光滑分析和Lyapunov稳定性理论设计了一个有限时间分布式梯度估计器.然后,基于该梯度估计器提出了一种适用于强连通有向图的有限时间分布式优化算法,实现了多智能体系统中智能体的状态在有限时间内一致收敛到全局最优状态值.与现有的有限时间分布式优化算法相比,新提出的有限时间优化算法适用于具有强连通拓扑的多智能体系统,放宽了系统对网络拓扑结构的要求.此外,本文基于Nussbaum函数方法对上述优化算法进行了拓展解决了含有未知高频增益符号的多智能体系统分布式优化问题.最后,通过仿真实例对提出的分布式优化算法的有效性进行了验证.     

Distributed adaptive consensus control of Lipschitz nonlinear multi-agent systems using output feedback

This paper addresses output-feedback-based distributed adaptive consensus control of multi-agent systems having Lipschitz nonlinear dynamics. Distributed dynamic protocols are designed based on the relative outputs of neighbouring agents and the adaptive coupling weights, under which consensus is reached between the nonlinear systems for all undirected connected communication topologies. Extension to the case of Lipschitz nonlinear multi-agent systems subjected to external disturbances is further studied, and a robust adaptive fully distributed consensus protocol is suggested. By application of a decoupling technique, necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of these consensus protocols are provided in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, numerical simulation results are demonstrated to validate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

Adaptive consensus of multi-agents in networks with jointly connected topologies

In this paper, the consensus problem of multi-agent following a leader is studied. An adaptive design method is presented for multi-agent systems with non-identical unknown nonlinear dynamics, and for a leader to be followed that is also nonlinear and unknown. By parameterizations of unknown nonlinear dynamics of all agents, a decentralized adaptive consensus algorithm is proposed in networks with jointly connected topologies by incorporating local consensus errors in addition to relative position feedback. Analysis of stability and parameter convergence of the proposed algorithm are conducted based on algebraic graph theory and Lyapunov theory. Finally, examples are provided to validate the theoretical results.     

Finite‐Time Consensus Problem for Second‐Order Multi‐Agent Systems Under Switching Topologies

This paper investigates the finite‐time consensus problem for multi‐agent systems with second‐order individual dynamics under switching topologies. A distributed continuous‐time protocol is designed to guarantee finite‐time consensus for homogeneous agents without predetermined leaders, i.e., it ensures agents asymptotically converge to an average consensus within finite time, even if the interaction topology among them is time‐varying but stepwise jointly‐connected. In particular, it introduces a distributed continuous‐time protocol to reach consensus in finite time and reduce the chattering together. Finally, the simulation results are also given to validate the proposed approach.     

Distributed finite-time consensus of nonlinear systems under switching topologies

In this paper, the finite time consensus problem of distributed nonlinear systems is studied under the general setting of directed and switching topologies. Specifically, a contraction mapping argument is used to investigate performance of networked control systems, two classes of varying topologies are considered, and distributive control designs are presented to guarantee finite time consensus. The proposed control scheme employs a distributed observer to estimate the first left eigenvector of graph Laplacian and, by exploiting this knowledge of network connectivity, it can handle switching topologies. The proposed methodology ensures finite time convergence to consensus under varying topologies of either having a globally reachable node or being jointly strongly connected, and the topological requirements are less restrictive than those in the existing results. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.     

Leader-following consensus of stochastic dynamical multi-agent systems with fixed and switching topologies under proportional-integral protocols

With the rapid development of swarm intelligence, consensus problem for multi-agent systems (MASs) has attracted substantial attention. To deal with the leader-following consensus problems in stochastic dynamical MASs with fixed and switching topologies, this article designed proportional-integral (PI) control protocols. On the basis of algebraic graph theory and stochastic analysis techniques, by selecting appropriate Lyapunov functions, it is theoretically shown that leader-following consensus of MASs with stochastic dynamics underlying fixed and switching topologies can be achieved in mean square, respectively. Sufficient criteria are derived for selecting the PI control gains. Finally, the theoretical results are illustrated through several numerical simulations.     

Sampled‐data consensus of multiagent systems with switching jointly connected topologies via time‐varying Lyapunov function approach

Consensus problem of multiagent systems with switching jointly connected topologies under sampled‐data control is studied in this article. The main contribution is that the consensus problem for such system is solved without the assumption that the system matrices are stable or critically stable. For this purpose, a time‐varying Lyapunov function method is utilized to describe the state characteristics with switching jointly connected topologies. Based on the time‐varying matrix of Lyapunov function, the “decline” characteristics at the switching instants is derived to compensate the divergence among the agents with disconnected topologies. Utilizing the “decline” characteristics, the overall consensus of such system can be guaranteed in the framework of dwell time. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed result is illustrated by two numerical examples.     

端口受控哈密顿多智能体系统的输出一致性协议设计

研究了端口受控哈密顿（PCH）多智能体系统分别在固定和切换拓扑下的输出一致性问题. 首先根据哈密顿系统特有的优势,运用能量整形思路设计了一个全局稳定的群组输出一致性协议,该协议通过构造虚拟邻居的方式将有向图转化成无向图. 其次通过利用推广的LaSalle's不变原理将切换拓扑的问题转化成切换系统来研究. 例子证明,本文很好的解决端口受控哈密顿（PCH）多智能体系统的输出一致性问题.     

端口受控哈密顿多智能体系统的输出一致性协议设计（英文）

This paper investigates the output consensus problem of port-controlled Hamiltonian(PCH) multi-agent systems with both fixed and switching topologies. Firstly, a distributed group output consensus protocol is designed via the energy shaping method to reach globally stability and group output consensus. Secondly, a new distributed control protocol is proposed by using the structural properties of the PCH systems. The advantage of this protocol is that it can transform the directed graph to the undirected graph by constructing a kind of virtual neighbors. Thirdly, a control protocol is designed with the extended LaSalle s invariance principle developed for switched systems under the jointly connected topology condition to make all the agents reach output consensus when the topology is switching. Finally, some illustrative examples with simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the protocols designed in this paper.     

Distributed fuzzy adaptive event-triggered finite-time consensus tracking control for uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems with asymmetric output constraint

This article investigates the consensus problem for uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) with asymmetric output constraint. Different from BLF-based constraint consensus tracking control, a novel approach based on nonlinear state-dependent function is proposed to solve the asymmetric output constraint, which need not convert output constraint into tracking error bound. First-order sliding mode differentiator is incorporated into each step of backstepping control design to reduce computation burden. Further, in combination of proposed event-triggered mechanism based on time-varying threshold, a distributed fuzzy adaptive event-triggered finite-time consensus method is developed. It can ensure that the consensus tracking error tends to a small neighbor in a finite time and the asymmetric output constraint of each subsystem is not violated. Two simulations are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of control method.     

Novel distributed robust adaptive consensus protocols for linear multi-agent systems with directed graphs and external disturbances

This paper addresses the distributed consensus protocol design problem for linear multi-agent systems with directed graphs and external unmatched disturbances. Novel distributed adaptive consensus protocols are proposed to achieve leader–follower consensus for any directed graph containing a directed spanning tree with the leader as the root node and leaderless consensus for strongly connected directed graphs. It is pointed out that the adaptive protocols involve undesirable parameter drift phenomenon when bounded external disturbances exist. By using the σ modification technique, distributed robust adaptive consensus protocols are designed to guarantee the ultimate boundedness of both the consensus error and the adaptive coupling weights in the presence of external disturbances. All the adaptive protocols in this paper are fully distributed, relying on only the agent dynamics and the relative states of neighbouring agents.     

Distributed adaptive control for time-varying formation of general linear multi-agent systems

An adaptive gain scheduling technique is investigated to discuss distributed time-varying formation (TVF) control problems for general linear time-invariant multi-agent systems (LTI-MASs), where two types of topologies are considered: (1) the interaction topology is undirected and connected, and (2) the interaction topology is directed. Two fully distributed adaptive TVF control protocols are, respectively proposed, which both assign a time-varying coupling weight to each node in the interaction topology. Two algorithms to design the constructed protocols are presented under the undirected and directed interaction topologies, respectively. A feasible TVF set is provided. The stabilities of two algorithms are, respectively proved based on the Lyapunov functional theory. For both undirected and directed interaction topologies, general LTI-MASs can achieve the given TVF using the designed fully distributed adaptive formation protocol without any global information about the interaction topology when the TVF satisfies the feasible set. Finally, theoretical results are illustrated with numerical simulation examples.     

Observer-based distributed coordinated tracking control for multiple simple-pendulum network systems with time-varying delays

For networked control systems consisting of multiple simple-pendulums driven by corresponding DC motors with time-varying communication and input delays, a distributed coordinated controller via observer-based output feedback is designed to solve the tracking problem under both fixed and jointly-connected switching topologies. Firstly, the linearized dynamic model for multiple nonlinear simple-pendulum network systems with DC motors is presented, and the distributed coordinated tracking problem considering time-varying input delays is mathematically described. Then the distributed observer-based tracking control protocol with time-varying communication and input delays is proposed, and simultaneously, both the observer gain and feedback gain are designed. Two examples are simulated to demonstrate consensus tracking for three types of states, i.e., swing angles, angular velocities of multiple simple-pendulums and armature currents of DC motors can be completed utilizing the developed coordinated tracking control with fixed and jointly connected topologies.     

Distributed Tracking Control of a Class of Multi-agent Systems in Non-affine Pure-feedback Form Under a Directed Topology

In this paper, we consider a consensus tracking problem of a class of networked multi-agent systems (MASs) in non-affine pure-feedback form under a directed topology. A distributed adaptive tracking consensus control scheme is constructed recursively by the backstepping method, graph theory, neural networks (NNs) and the dynamic surface control (DSC) approach. The key advantage of the proposed control strategy is that, by the DSC technique, it avoids "explosion of complexity" problem along with the increase of the degree of individual agents and thus the computational burden of the scheme can be drastically reduced. Moreover, there is no requirement for prior knowledge about system parameters of individual agents and uncertain dynamics by employing NNs approximation technology. We then further show that, in theory, the designed control policy guarantees the consensus errors to be cooperatively semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded (CSUUB). Finally, two examples are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.      

Adaptive tracking control of leader-following linear multi-agent systems with external disturbances

In this paper, the consensus problem for leader-following linear multi-agent systems with external disturbances is investigated. Brownian motions are used to describe exogenous disturbances. A distributed tracking controller based on Riccati inequalities with an adaptive law for adjusting coupling weights between neighbouring agents is designed for leader-following multi-agent systems under fixed and switching topologies. In traditional distributed static controllers, the coupling weights depend on the communication graph. However, coupling weights associated with the feedback gain matrix in our method are updated by state errors between neighbouring agents. We further present the stability analysis of leader-following multi-agent systems with stochastic disturbances under switching topology. Most traditional literature requires the graph to be connected all the time, while the communication graph is only assumed to be jointly connected in this paper. The design technique is based on Riccati inequalities and algebraic graph theory. Finally, simulations are given to show the validity of our method.     

Distributed Zero-Gradient-Sum (ZGS) consensus optimisation over networks with time-varying topologies

This paper addresses a distributed consensus optimisation problem over networks with time-varying topologies based on Zero-Gradient-Sum (ZGS) algorithm. First, the exponential convergence of the algorithm is guaranteed under a new condition on network topologies, called cooperatively connected. This condition does not require the topology constantly connected or jointly connected but only requires the integral of the Laplacian matrix of the network topology over a period of time is connected. Hence, it is suitable for more general time-varying topologies. Second, by establishing a key mathematical lemma, we develop a convergence analysis technique which is based on the difference of the Lyapunov function rather than its differentiation. Finally, a simulation example is also provided to verify the results obtained in this paper.     

Distributed adaptive consensus for multiple mechanical systems with switching topologies and time-varying delay

This paper studies the adaptive consensus problem of networked mechanical systems with time-varying delay and jointly-connected topologies. Two different consensus protocols are proposed. First, we present an adaptive consensus protocol for the connected switching topologies. Based on graph theory, Lyapunov stability theory and switching control theory, the stability of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated. Then we investigate the problem under the more general jointly-connected topologies, and with concurrent time-varying communication delay. The proposed consensus protocol consists of two parts: one is for the connected agents which contains the current states disagreement among them and the other is designed for the isolated agents which contains the states difference between the current and past. A distinctive feature of this work is to address the consensus control problem of mechanical systems with unknown parameters, time-varying delay and switching topologies in a unified theoretical framework. Numerical simulation is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.     

通信时延和联合连通拓扑下多刚体系统分布式姿态一致性控制

本文研究了通信时延和联合连通切换拓扑条件下的多刚体系统分布式姿态一致性控制问题. 通过构建有 效的辅助向量并选择合适的Lyapunov-Krasovskii函数, 分别对恒定通信时延和时变通信时延两种不同情况下的控 制器进行了设计. 数值仿真结果表明, 本文提出的方法能够有效地解决这类分布式姿态一致性控制问题. 多刚体; 姿态一致性; 联合连通拓扑; 时变时延; Lyapunov函数