基于自触发的异构多智能体协同输出调节

本文针对线性异构多智能体系统,基于自适应自触发条件,分别设计了状态和输出反馈协同控制器.其中自适应控制策略可以避免使用多智能体系统的全局信息,从而实现分布式控制;自触发控制不仅可以避免对触发条件进行连续监测,还可以有效地降低网络的通信负载和控制器的更新次数,且不存在芝诺现象.最后通过4个跟随智能体和一个领导智能体进行了协同输出直角编队仿真实验,实现了多智能体系统对外部系统的渐近跟踪和干扰抑制,验证了结果的有效性.     

Distributed cooperative stabilisation of continuous-time uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems

This paper addresses the distributed cooperative stabilisation problem of continuous-time uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems. By approximating the uncertain dynamics using neural networks, a distributed adaptive cooperative controller, based on the state information of the neighbouring agents, is proposed. The control design is developed for any undirected connected communication topologies without requiring the accurate model of each agent. This result is further extended to the output feedback case. An observer-based distributed cooperative controller is devised and a parameter dependent Riccati inequality is employed to prove stability of the overall multi-agent systems. This design is less complex than the other design methods and has a favourable decouple property between the observer design and the controller design for uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems. For both cases, the developed controllers guarantee that all signals in the closed-loop network are uniformly ultimately bounded, and the states of all agents cooperatively converge to a small neighbourhood of origin. A comparative study is given to show the efficacy of the proposed method.     

Cooperative global output regulation of heterogeneous second-order nonlinear uncertain multi-agent systems

In this paper, we study the cooperative global output regulation problem for a class of heterogeneous second order nonlinear uncertain multi-agent systems. We first introduce a type of distributed internal model that converts the cooperative global output regulation problem into the global robust stabilization problem of the so-called augmented multi-agent system. Then we further globally stabilize this augmented multi-agent system via a distributed state feedback control law, thus leading to the solution of the original problem. A special case of our result leads to the solution of the global leader-following consensus problem for the second order nonlinear multi-agent systems without satisfying the global Lipschitz condition.     

Mean square leader-following consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems with Markovian switching topologies and communication delays

This article considers the mean square leader-following output consensus problem of heterogeneous multi-agent systems under randomly switching topologies and time-varying communication delays. By modeling the switching topologies as a time-homogeneous Markov process and taking the communication delays into consideration, a distributed observer is proposed to estimate the state of the leader. A novel distributed output feedback controller is then designed. By constructing a novel switching Lyapunov functional, an easily-verifiable sufficient condition to achieve the mean square leader-following output consensus is given. Finally, two simulation examples are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.     

Distributed output regulation for linear multi-agent systems with communication delays

In this paper, a distributed output regulation approach is presented for the cooperative control of linear multi-agent systems in the presence of communication delays. Both dynamic state and output feedback control laws are designed for achieving the property of output regulation. Sufficient conditions for the existence of these control laws are provided in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Simulation results are given to support the efficiency of the proposed distributed output regulation approach.     

Containment control of a class of heterogeneous nonlinear multi-agent systems

This paper studies the containment control of a class of heterogeneous nonlinear multi-agent systems under general directed graph. Every follower agent is a nonlinear system in the output feedback form with the same relative degree. The authors’ goal is to design a distributed dynamic controller such that the outputs of followers enter the convex hull spanned by the outputs of leaders. To this end, the containment problem is converted into a cooperative output regulation problem, a distributed adaptive recursive procedure and the internal model are employed to design the distributed controller.     

Observer-based fault tolerant control for a class of nonlinear multi-agent systems with sensor faults

This article focuses on the robust fault tolerant control (FTC) problem for a class of Lipschitz nonlinear multi-agent systems(MASs) subject to sensor faults. Firstly, sensor faults are transformed into actuator faults via introducing a new intermediate auxiliary state variable, and a distributed adaptive fault estimation observer is designed to estimate the state information and the concerned faults by using the relative output estimation error. Then, the sufficient existence conditions for the observer to satisfy the robust performance index are given. Thirdly, based on the results of observer design, a new design method of dynamic output feedback controller is proposed to implement consensus of MASs and ensure the desired disturbance rejection performance. Finally, the simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

A self-tuning adaptive distributed observer approach to the cooperative output regulation problem for networked multi-agent systems

In this paper, we first propose a self-tuning distributed observer for a multi-agent system, which is capable of providing the estimation of the leader's signal to various followers without assuming all the followers know the system matrix of the leader. We then further develop a novel adaptive distributed control law to solve the cooperative output regulation problem for linear heterogeneous multi-agent systems. This control law offers two advantages in that it makes less use of the information of the network as well as the information of the leader and external disturbances, and it avoids calculating the observer gain.     

Cooperative output regulation with application to multi-agent consensus under switching network

In this paper, we consider the cooperative output regulation of linear multi-agent systems under switching network. The problem can be viewed as a generalization of the leader-following consensus problem of multi-agent systems. Due to the limited information exchanges of different subsystems, the problem cannot be solved by the decentralized approach and is not allowed to be solved by the centralized control. By devising a distributed observer network, we can solve the problem by both dynamic state feedback control and dynamic measurement output feedback control. As an application of our main result, we show that a special case of our results leads to the solution of the leader-following consensus problem of linear multi-agent systems.     

基于自适应分布式滤波观测器的多智能体系统编队控制

本文考虑了全局指令系统输出信息受到信道扰动情况下线性多智能体系统的编队控制问题.首先,基于协作式输出调节理论框架对线性多智能体系统的编队控制问题进行数学建模.其次,针对受到信道扰动的全局指令系统输出信息,提出了一类基于受扰输出的自适应分布式滤波观测器,在降低网络信息交换量的同时消除扰动的影响.最后,设计了输出反馈确定等价控制律,解决了线性多智能体系统的分布式编队控制问题.给出了数值仿真结果检验控制性能.     

Semi-global weighted output average tracking of discrete-time heterogeneousmulti-agent systems subject to input saturation and external disturbances

In this paper, we revisit the semi-global weighted output average tracking problem for a discrete-time multi-agent system subject to input saturation and external disturbances. The multi-agent system consists of multiple heterogeneous linear systems as leader agents and multiple heterogeneous linear systems as follower agents. We design both the state feedback and output feedback control protocols for each follower agent. In particular, a distributed state observer is designed for each follower agent that estimates the state of each leader agent. In the output feedback case, state observer is also designed for each follower agent to estimate its own state. With these estimates, we design low gain-based distributed control protocols, parameterized in a scalar low gain parameter. It is shown that, for any bounded set of the initial conditions, these control protocols cause the follower agents to track the weighted average of the outputs of the leader agents as long as the value of the low gain parameter is tuned sufficiently small. Simulation results illustrate the validity of the theoretical results.     

Cooperative output regulation of heterogeneous multiagent systems based on event‐triggered control with fixed and switching topologies

This paper addresses the cooperative output regulation problem of multiagent systems with fixed and switching topologies. Each agent is a heterogeneous linear system, and the output of the exosystem can be available to only a subset of agents. For the agents that can directly access the exosystem, a common observer based on an event‐triggered strategy is constructed to estimate the exogenous signal for feedback control design. For the rest of the agents, estimators based on an event‐triggered mechanism to acquire the estimation value of the exogenous signal are designed under some essential assumptions. A decentralized event‐triggered formulation is considered first by applying a Lyapunov function for a fixed topology. Furthermore, a topology‐dependent triggering condition and the average dwell‐time switching law are deduced simultaneously by using multiple Lyapunov functions for switching topologies. Under communication constraints, we propose observer‐based and estimator‐based feedback controllers to solve the cooperative output regulation problem using available local information among agents. Two examples are finally provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical results.     

Distributed output regulation for multi-agent systems with norm-bounded uncertainties

In this paper, we consider the distributed robust output regulation problem for multi-agent systems (MASs). It is involved with a group of heterogeneous high-order linear uncertain systems and an linear exosystem. The regulated output is a combination of the output of MAS and the exosystem, which is defined based on controlling demands. Distributed controllers are designed to ensure that the regulated output converges to the origin and meanwhile the closed-loop MAS is stable. The sufficient conditions for the solvability of distributed output regulation problem are given in terms of linear matrix inequalities. And algorithms are proposed to design distributed dynamic controllers with state feedback and output feedback, via the help of internal models. It is shown that, for any time-invariant norm-bounded uncertainties, the given controllers can realise the objective of output regulation.     

有限时间内异构多智能体系统的协同输出调节

针对异构多智能体系统有限时间输出调节问题,本文提出了分布式有限时间状态观测器控制算法和相应的输出反馈控制策略.应用图论、Lyapunov稳定性理论证明了所设计的观测器能够在有限时间内估计出外部系统状态,同时可以保证系统在有限时间内的稳定性,很好的解决了当部分跟随者无法获取外部命令时的有限时间输出调节问题.最后,通过MATLAB数值仿真验证了该协议的有效性和正确性,仿真结果表明系统除了在有限时间内获得更快的收敛速度外,还具有良好的暂态性能.     

Cooperative observers and regulators for discrete‐time multiagent systems

This paper investigates the design of distributed observers for agents with identical linear discrete‐time state‐space dynamics networked on a directed graph interaction topology. The digraph is assumed to have fixed topology and contain a spanning tree. Cooperative observer design guaranteeing convergence of the estimates of all agents to their actual states is proposed. The notion of convergence region for distributed observers on graphs is introduced. It is shown that the proposed cooperative observer design has a robustness property. Application of cooperative observers is made to the synchronization problem. A command trajectory generator and pinning control are employed for synchronizing all the agents to a desired trajectory. Complete knowledge about the agent's state is not assumed. A duality principle is shown for observers and state feedback for distributed discrete‐time systems on graph topologies. Three different observer/controller architectures are proposed for dynamic output feedback regulator design, and they are shown to guarantee convergence of the estimate to the true state and synchronization of all the agents' states to the command state trajectory. This provides design methods for cooperative regulators based on a separation principle. It is shown that the observer convergence region and feedback control synchronizing region for discrete‐time systems are inherently bounded, so that the conditions for observer convergence and state synchronization are stricter than the results for the continuous‐time counterparts. This is in part remedied by using weighting of different feedback coupling gains for every agent. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distributed Robust Containment Control of Linear Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems: An Output Regulation Approach

In this paper, we consider the robust output containment problem of linear heterogeneous multi-agent systems under fixed directed networks. A distributed dynamic observer based on the leaders’ measurable output was designed to estimate a convex combination of the leaders’ states. First, for the case of followers with identical state dimensions, distributed dynamic state and output feedback control laws were designed based on the state-coupled item and the internal model compensator to drive the uncertain followers into the leaders’ convex hull within the output regulation framework. Subsequently, we extended theoretical results to the case where followers have nonidentical state dimensions. By establishing virtual errors between the dynamic observer and followers, a new distributed dynamic output feedback control law was constructed using only the states of the compensator to solve the robust output containment problem. Finally, two numerical simulations verified the effectiveness of the designed schemes.      

Composite nonlinear feedback control for cooperative output regulation of linear multi-agent systems by a distributed dynamic compensator

This paper investigates the cooperative output regulation problem of linear multi-agent systems with a linear exogenous system (exo-system). The network topology is described by a directed graph which contains a directed spanning tree with the exo-system as the root. Aiming at improving the transient performance of the multi-agent systems, a dynamic control law is developed by the composite nonlinear feedback (CNF) control technique. In particular, a distributed dynamic compensator independent of the interaction on the compensator states of agents among the network, is adopted. The solvability condition for the cooperative output regulation problem is obtained using the small-gain theory, which will not be destroyed by adding the nonlinear feedback part of the CNF control law. It is also shown that in the case with the exo-system not diverging exponentially, the small-gain condition can be guaranteed using the low-gain design. Finally, simulation results illustrate that the proposed CNF control law improves the transient performance for the cooperative output regulation of linear multi-agent systems.     

Cooperative semi-global robust output regulation for a class of nonlinear uncertain multi-agent systems

In this paper, we study the cooperative semi-global robust output regulation problem for a class of minimum phase nonlinear uncertain multi-agent systems. This problem is a generalization of the leader-following tracking problem in the sense that it further addresses such issues as disturbance rejection, robustness with respect to parameter uncertainties. To solve this problem, we first introduce a type of distributed internal model that converts the cooperative semi-global robust output regulation problem into a cooperative semi-global robust stabilization problem of the so-called augmented system. We then solve the semi-global stabilization problem via distributed dynamic output control law by utilizing and combining a block semi-global backstepping technique, a simultaneous high gain feedback control technique, and a distributed high gain observer technique.     

An output-based distributed observer and its application to the cooperative linear output regulation problem

In this paper, we first extend an existing stability result for a class of linear switched systems. This extended result will relax the existence conditions of the output-based distributed observer for a leader system subject to jointly connected switching communication networks in the literature. As an application of this output-based distributed observer, we solve the cooperative output regulation problem of a linear multi-agent system subject to jointly connected switching communication networks by composing a purely decentralized control law and the output-based distributed observer based on the certainty equivalence principle.     

Distributed adaptive output feedback tracking control for a class of uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems

This paper addresses the distributed output feedback tracking control problem for multi-agent systems with higher order nonlinear non-strict-feedback dynamics and directed communication graphs. The existing works usually design a distributed consensus controller using all the states of each agent, which are often immeasurable, especially in nonlinear systems. In this paper, based only on the relative output between itself and its neighbours, a distributed adaptive consensus control law is proposed for each agent using the backstepping technique and approximation technique of Fourier series (FS) to solve the output feedback tracking control problem of multi-agent systems. The FS structure is taken not only for tracking the unknown nonlinear dynamics but also the unknown derivatives of virtual controllers in the controller design procedure, which can therefore prevent virtual controllers from containing uncertain terms. The projection algorithm is applied to ensure that the estimated parameters remain in some known bounded sets. Lyapunov stability analysis shows that the proposed control law can guarantee that the output of each agent synchronises to the leader with bounded residual errors and that all the signals in the closed-loop system are uniformly ultimately bounded. Simulation results have verified the performance and feasibility of the proposed distributed adaptive control strategy.