Distributed Consensus of Multi‐Agent Networks Via Event‐Triggered Pinning Control

This paper is concerned with distributed consensus between two multi‐agent networks with the same topology structure. Considering one network as the leaders' network and the other one as the followers' network, a new event‐triggered pinning control scheme is proposed to realize distributed consensus between these two networks. By utilizing the graph theory and Lyapunov functional method, consensus criteria are derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities. Moreover, distributed consensus of multi‐agent networks with Lipschitz nonlinear dynamics is also discussed. Numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.     

Event-triggered nonlinear consensus in directed multi-agent systems with combinational state measurements

Event-triggered sampling control is motivated by the applications of embedded microprocessors equipped in the agents with limited computation and storage resources. This paper studied global consensus in multi-agent systems with inherent nonlinear dynamics on general directed networks using decentralised event-triggered strategy. For each agent, the controller updates are event-based and only triggered at its own event times by only utilising the locally current sampling data. A high-performance sampling event that only needs local neighbours’ states at their own discrete time instants is presented. Furthermore, we introduce two kinds of general algebraic connectivity for strongly connected networks and strongly connected components of the directed network containing a spanning tree so as to describe the system's ability for reaching consensus. A detailed theoretical analysis on consensus is performed and two criteria are derived by virtue of algebraic graph theory, matrix theory and Lyapunov control approach. It is shown that the Zeno behaviour of triggering time sequence is excluded during the system's whole working process. A numerical simulation is given to show the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

2阶多智能体网络在切换拓扑下的群一致性

针对2阶多智能体网络的群一致性问题,提出了基于牵引控制方法的群一致性协议.考虑到网络模型具有切换拓扑结构,在模型中引入相应的虚拟领导者.对于网络中的每一个智能体,其一致性协议依赖于智能体邻居的状态及速度信息,并受到虚拟领导者的牵引控制;进一步地,来自虚拟领导者的牵引控制可以随时间发生变换.利用代数图论、线性矩阵不等式和李亚普诺夫稳定性理论,对网络进行群一致性分析,给出了切换拓扑下2阶多智能体网络达到群一致性的充分条件.最后,数值仿真验证了理论结果的有效性.     

Bounded synchronisation of a time-varying dynamical network with nonidentical nodes

This paper investigates the global bounded synchronisation problem of complex dynamical networks of coupled nonidentical nodes with general time-varying topology through the Lyapunov function and graph theory. Several sufficient conditions in form of scalar inequalities are established so that the global bounded synchronisation of the general dynamical network can be evaluated by the stability of a linear time-varying system and the boundedness of a nonlinear function, both associated with the dynamics of nonidentical nodes. These analytical results are simple yet generic, without assuming the symmetry coupling configuration matrix or calculating their eigenvalues. They can be used to explore synchronisation issues of various complex networks. Numerical simulations show their effectiveness.     

Consensus with guaranteed convergence rate of high-order integrator agents in the presence of time-varying delays

This paper aims to study the consensus problem in directed networks of agents with high-order integrator dynamics and fixed topology. It is considered the existence of non-uniform time-varying delays in the agents control laws for each interaction between agents and their neighbours. Based on Lyapunov–Krasovskii stability theory and algebraic graph theory, sufficient conditions, in terms of linear matrix inequalities, are given to verify if consensus is achieved with guaranteed exponential convergence rate. The efficiency of the proposed method is verified by numerical simulations. The simulations reveal that the conditions established in this work outperformed the similar existing ones in all numerical tests accomplished in this paper.     

Consensus problems in networks of agents with switching topology and time-delays

In this paper, we discuss consensus problems for networks of dynamic agents with fixed and switching topologies. We analyze three cases: 1) directed networks with fixed topology; 2) directed networks with switching topology; and 3) undirected networks with communication time-delays and fixed topology. We introduce two consensus protocols for networks with and without time-delays and provide a convergence analysis in all three cases. We establish a direct connection between the algebraic connectivity (or Fiedler eigenvalue) of the network and the performance (or negotiation speed) of a linear consensus protocol. This required the generalization of the notion of algebraic connectivity of undirected graphs to digraphs. It turns out that balanced digraphs play a key role in addressing average-consensus problems. We introduce disagreement functions for convergence analysis of consensus protocols. A disagreement function is a Lyapunov function for the disagreement network dynamics. We proposed a simple disagreement function that is a common Lyapunov function for the disagreement dynamics of a directed network with switching topology. A distinctive feature of this work is to address consensus problems for networks with directed information flow. We provide analytical tools that rely on algebraic graph theory, matrix theory, and control theory. Simulations are provided that demonstrate the effectiveness of our theoretical results.     

Dynamics and stability in optical communication networks: a system theory framework

This paper addresses the problem of dynamics analysis in optical networks from a system control perspective. A general framework for finding the transfer matrix representation of an optical network is developed, based on linear fractional transformations. Under the natural assumption of equal time-delay for all channels in a link, the network transfer matrix is simplified such that channel cross-coupling is evidenced. The optical network stability problem is then reformulated as a robust stability problem and stability conditions are developed by applying μ-analysis.     

Consensus tracking for second-order nonlinear multi-agent systems with switching topologies and a time-varying reference state

In this study, the authors consider the consensus tracking problem for second-order nonlinear multi-agent systems with switching topologies and a time-varying reference state. The dynamics of each agent consists of nonlinear inherent dynamics. In order to reach consensus tracking, a class of nonsmooth control protocols is proposed which only depends on the agent's own information and its neighbours’ information. With the aid of algebraic graph theory, matrix theory, and Lyapunov theory, some corresponding sufficient conditions guaranteeing consensus tracking under the proposed control protocols are derived. Finally, the numerical simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed theoretical results.     

多智能体切换网络自适应组一致性

在切换网络下,针对具有未知且互不相同的非线性动态的多智能体系统,假设其未知的非线性动态可线性参数化,并运用自适应控制策略和牵制控制方法,提出了一种组一致性算法,使得多智能体系统在切换网络下达到组一致性。该算法仅仅依赖相邻智能体间的相对位置信息,基于Lyapunov理论、Barbalat引理、自适应控制理论及代数图论等理论,对该算法进行了稳定性分析和参数收敛分析。通过一个仿真实例验证了提出的算法有效性。     

Robust consensus control with guaranteed rate of convergence using second-order Hurwitz polynomials

This paper considers homogeneous networks of general, linear time-invariant, second-order systems. We consider linear feedback controllers and require that the directed graph associated with the network contains a spanning tree and systems are stabilisable. We show that consensus with a guaranteed rate of convergence can always be achieved using linear state feedback. To achieve this, we provide a new and simple derivation of the conditions for a second-order polynomial with complex coefficients to be Hurwitz. We apply this result to obtain necessary and sufficient conditions to achieve consensus with networks whose graph Laplacian matrix may have complex eigenvalues. Based on the conditions found, methods to compute feedback gains are proposed. We show that gains can be chosen such that consensus is achieved robustly over a variety of communication structures and system dynamics. We also consider the use of static output feedback.     

Distributed leader-following consensus for second-order multi-agent systems with nonlinear inherent dynamics

In this paper, the leader-following consensus problem for second-order multi-agent systems with nonlinear inherent dynamics is investigated. Two distributed control protocols are proposed under fixed undirected communication topology and fixed directed communication topology. Some sufficient conditions are obtained for the states of followers converging to the state of virtual leader globally exponentially. Rigorous proofs are given by using graph theory, matrix theory and Lyapunov theory. Simulations are also given to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

具有随机丢包的网络化多自主体系统的一致性

研究具有随机丢包的网络化多自主体系统的均方一致性问题,其中不同自主体间的通信通道具有相同的丢包情况并且均服从马尔可夫(Markov)分布。首先,利用系统变换和迭代方法,得到了系统达到均方一致的一个初等充要条件。然后,利用矩阵理论和图论知识,如果拓扑图含有有向生成树,则可以将系统的均方一致性转化成一个线性Markov跳变系统的均方稳定性,并且可以建立线性矩阵不等式形式的均方可镇定准则。最后,通过相应的仿真实例说明了所得结论的可行性。     

Distributed finite-time consensus tracking for nonlinear multi-agent systems with a time-varying reference state

This paper investigates the consensus tracking problem for nonlinear multi-agent systems with a time-varying reference state. The consensus reference is taken as a virtual leader, whose output is only its position information that is available to only a subset of a group of followers. The dynamics of each follower consists of two terms: nonlinear inherent dynamics and a simple communication protocol relying only on the position of its neighbours. In this paper, the consensus tracking problem is respectively considered under fixed and switching communication topologies. Some corresponding sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the states of followers can converge to the state of the virtual leader in finite time. Rigorous proofs are given by using graph theory, matrix theory, and Lyapunov theory. Simulations are presented to illustrate the theoretical analysis.     

Impulsive consensus algorithms for second-order multi-agent networks with sampled information

In this paper, the distributed consensus problem for second-order continuous-time multi-agent networks with sampled-data communication is investigated. Motivated by impulsive control strategy, two kinds of impulsive distributed consensus algorithm are proposed. These algorithms only utilize the sampled information and are implemented at sampled times. By using the stability theory of impulsive systems and properties of the Laplacian matrix, necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure the consensus of the controlled networks. It is shown that the control gains, the sampling period and the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix of the communication graph play key roles in achieving the consensus. A numerical example is given to illustrate the results.     

Finite-time consensus for multi-agent networks with unknown inherent nonlinear dynamics

The objective of this paper is to analyze the finite-time convergence of a nonlinear but continuous consensus algorithm for multi-agent networks with unknown inherent nonlinear dynamics. Due to the existence of the unknown inherent nonlinear dynamics, the stability analysis and the finite-time convergence analysis are more challenging than those under the well-studied consensus algorithms for known linear systems. For this purpose, we propose a novel comparison based tool. By using this tool, it is shown that the proposed nonlinear consensus algorithm can guarantee finite-time convergence if the directed switching interaction graph has a directed spanning tree at each time interval. Specifically, the finite-time convergence is shown by comparing the closed-loop system under the proposed consensus algorithm with some well-designed closed-loop system whose stability properties are easier to obtain. Moreover, the stability and the finite-time convergence of the closed-loop system using the proposed consensus algorithm under a (general) directed switching interaction graph can even be guaranteed by the stability and the finite-time convergence of some well-designed nonlinear closed-loop system under some special directed switching interaction graph. This provides a stimulating example for the potential applications of the proposed comparison based tool in the stability analysis of linear/nonlinear closed-loop systems by making use of known results in linear/nonlinear systems.     

Leader-following consensus of fractional-order multi-agent systems via adaptive pinning control

In this paper, the leader-following consensus problem of fractional-order multi-agent systems is considered via adaptive pinning control. The dynamics of leader and all followers with linear and nonlinear functions are investigated, respectively. We assume that the node should be pinned if its in-degree is less than its out-degree in the paper. Under this assumption and based on the stability theory of fractional-order differential systems, some leader-following consensus criteria are derived, which are easily obtained by matrix inequalities. The control of each agent using local information is designed and detailed analysis of the leader-following consensus is presented. The design technique is based on algebraic graph theory and the Riccati inequality. Several simulation examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Solving a modified consensus problem of linear multi-agent systems

A distributed protocol is proposed for a modified consensus problem of a network of agents that have the same continuous-time linear dynamics. Each agent estimates its own state using its output information and then sends the estimated state to its neighbor agents for the purpose of reaching a consensus. The modified consensus problem requires the group decision value to be a linear function of initial states and initial estimated states of all agents in the network, and the transformation matrix associated with this linear function not to be a zero matrix. It is proved that under the proposed control protocol, the modified consensus problem can be solved if and only if the system matrices of the agent’s dynamics are stabilizable and detectable, the input matrix is not a zero matrix, and the communication topology graph has a spanning tree. The proposed protocol can also be extended to multi-agent systems where agents are described by discrete-time linear dynamics. The corresponding necessary and sufficient conditions are provided as well.     

Stability analysis and controller design for consensus in discrete-time networks with heterogeneous agent dynamics

In this paper, we study the heterogeneous consensus problem in directed networks consisting of first- and second-order agents that can only receive the position states of their neighbors. Necessary and sufficient conditions on the controller parameters are obtained in order to achieve consensus in the network. The mathematical expressions of the consensus equilibria are given for two different scenarios. Furthermore, we propose a systematic method for choosing controller parameters to ensure stability in a network of agents with heterogeneous dynamics. Several numerical examples are also provided to illustrate the theoretical results.     

Kinetic feedback design for polynomial systems

New computational methods are proposed in this paper to construct polynomial feedback controllers for the stabilization of polynomial systems with linear input structure around a positive equilibrium point. Using the theory of chemical reaction networks (CRNs) and previous results on dynamical equivalence, a complex balanced or weakly reversible zero deficiency closed loop realization is achieved by computing the gain matrix of a polynomial feedback using optimization. It is shown that the feedback resulting in a complex balanced closed loop system having a prescribed equilibrium point can be computed using linear programming (LP). The robust version of the problem, when a convex set of polynomial systems is given over which a stabilizing controller is searched for, is also solvable with an LP solver. The feedback computation for rendering a polynomial system to deficiency zero weakly reversible form can be solved in the mixed integer linear programming (MILP) framework. It is also shown that involving new monomials (complexes) into the feedback does not improve the solvability of the problems. The proposed methods and tools are illustrated on simple examples, including stabilizing an open chemical reaction network.     

Leader-following finite-time consensus in second-order multi-agent networks with nonlinear dynamics

Robust finite-time consensus problems in leader-following multi-agent directed networks with second-order nonlinear dynamics are considered in this paper. By using matrix theory, algebraic graph theory and finite-time control scheme, a class of continuous distributed control algorithms are designed in a quite unified way for each follower agent to reach consensus in a finite time. A numerical example is also employed to illustrate the effectiveness and correctness of our theoretical results.