Allowable delay bound for consensus of linear multi-agent systems with communication delay

This paper studies the consensus of a group of linear dynamic agents with a uniform communication delay and focuses on searching an allowable delay bound. As long as the delay is less than this bound, there exist linear feedback consensus protocols driving the multi-agent system to achieve consensus. Both fixed and switching topology cases are investigated. In both cases, the consensus problem is converted to the robust stability problem of corresponding uncertain state-delayed systems. By using Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional analysis, consensus conditions which contain the feedback gain conditions and delay conditions are proposed for systems over fixed and switching topologies, respectively. Furthermore, allowable delay bounds are obtained for both systems by solving the optimal robust stabilisation problems. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the results.     

Consensus analysis for multiple autonomous agents with input delay and communication delay

Consensus problem is investigated for the multi-agent systems with agents?? dynamics modeled by single-input and single output linear time-invariant proper system, and asynchronously-coupled consensus algorithm is adopted for the system subjected to input delay and communication delay. Sufficient conditions, which depend on the input delay and the communication delay, are obtained for the agents converging to a stationary consensus asymptotically by using linear fractional transformation and small-gain theorem of the frequency-domain analysis. Moreover, the results are extended to get the consensus conditions for second-order multi-agent systems with input delay and communication delay under asynchronously-coupled consensus algorithm, which is composed of the position and the velocity consensus coordination control parts. Simulation illustrates the correctness of the results.     

Consensus of a class of second‐order nonlinear heterogeneous multi‐agent systems with uncertainty and communication delay

In this paper, a consensus problem is studied for a group of second‐order nonlinear heterogeneous agents with non‐uniform time delay in communication links and uncertainty in agent dynamics. We design a class of novel decentralized control protocols for the consensus problem whose solvability is converted into stability analysis of an associated closed‐loop system with uncertainty and time delay. Using an explicitly constructed Lyapunov functional, the stability conditions or the solvability conditions of the consensus problem are given in terms of a set of linear matrix inequalities apart from a small number of scalar parameters that appear nonlinearly. Furthermore, the linear matrix inequalities are theoretically verified to be solvable when the communication delay is sufficiently small. The effectiveness of the proposed control protocol is illustrated by numerical examples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stability of formation control using a consensus protocol under directed communications with two time delays and delay scheduling

We consider a linear algorithm to achieve formation control in a group of agents which are driven by second-order dynamics and affected by two rationally independent delays. One of the delays is in the position and the other in the velocity information channels. These delays are taken as constant and uniform throughout the system. The communication topology is assumed to be directed and fixed. The formation is attained by adding a supplementary control term to the stabilising consensus protocol. In preparation for the formation control logic, we first study the stability of the consensus, using the recent cluster treatment of characteristic roots (CTCR) paradigm. This effort results in a unique depiction of the non-conservative stability boundaries in the domain of the delays. However, CTCR requires the knowledge of the potential stability switching loci exhaustively within this domain. The creation of these loci is done in a new surrogate coordinate system, called the ‘spectral delay space (SDS)’. The relative stability is also investigated, which has to do with the speed of reaching consensus. This step leads to a paradoxical control design concept, called the ‘delay scheduling’, which highlights the fact that the group behaviour may be enhanced by increasing the delays. These steps lead to a control strategy to establish a desired group formation that guarantees spacing among the agents. Example case studies are presented to validate the underlying analytical derivations.     

Second-order consensus for multi-agent systems with switching topology and communication delay

In this paper, two kinds of consensus problems for second-order agents under directed and arbitrarily switching topologies are investigated, that is, the cases without and with communication delay. For the former, by constructing a new kind of digraph and employing a new graphic method, we can specify the least convergence rate for all the agents to reach consensus. For the latter, in virtue of a matrix inequality method, a sufficient condition in the form of feasible matrix inequalities is presented for all the agents to reach consensus. This, on the other hand, shows that consensus can be reached if the delay is small enough. Finally, two numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed results.     

Exhaustive stability analysis in a consensus system with time delay and irregular topologies

A consensus problem and its stability are studied for a group of agents with second-order dynamics and communication delays. The communication topologies are taken as irregular but always connected and undirected. The delays are assumed to be quasi-static and the same for all the interagent channels. A decentralised, PD-like control structure is proposed to create a consensus in the position and velocity of the agents. We present an interesting factorisation feature for the characteristic equation of the system which simplifies the stability analysis considerably from a prohibitively large dimensional problem to a manageable small scale. It facilitates a rare stability picture in the space of the control parameters and the delay, utilising a paradigm named cluster treatment of characteristic roots (CTCR). The influence of the individual factors on the absolute and relative stability of the system is studied. This leads to the introduction of two novel concepts: the most exigent eigenvalue, which refers to the one that defines the delay stability margin of the system, and the most critical eigenvalue, which is the one that dictates the consensus speed of the system. It is observed that the most exigent eigenvalue is not always the most critical, and this feature may be used as a design tool for the control logic. Case studies and simulations results are presented to verify these concepts.     

带有时变时滞和不确定性拓扑的双积分系统的一致性

研究带有不确定性拓扑的双积分系统在有时滞的情况下的一致性问题,通过线性矩阵不等式的方法,得到一致性的充分条件。本文最大的贡献是考虑双积分系统,在有不确定性信息和时变时滞的情况下,找出控制协议使其一致。最大合适的时变时滞和不确定性可以由线性矩阵不等式得到。最后给出仿真,证明定理的有效性。     

Consensus analysis with large and multiple communication delays using spectral delay space concept

In this study, we consider the consensus problem for a group of second-order agents interacting under a fixed, undirected communication topology. Communication lines are affected by two rationally independent delays. The first delay is assumed to be in the position information channels, whereas the second delay is in the velocity information exchange. The delays are assumed to be large and uniform throughout the entire network. The stability analysis of such systems becomes quickly intractable as the number of agents increases and the delays enlarge. To resolve this dilemma, we first reduce the complexity of the problem dramatically, by decomposing the characteristic equation of the system into a set of second-order factors. Then, we assess the stability of the resulting subsystems exactly and exhaustively in the domain of the time delays using the cluster treatment of characteristic roots (CTCR) paradigm. CTCR requires the determination of all the potential stability switching loci in the domain of the delays. For this, a surrogate domain, called the ‘spectral delay space (SDS)’, is used. The result is a computationally efficient stability analysis of the given dynamics within the domain of the delays. Illustrative cases are provided to verify the analytical conclusions. On these examples, we also study the consensus speeds through eigenvalue analysis.     

Consensus of networked multi-agent systems with communication delays based on the networked predictive control scheme

The consensus problem of discrete-time networked multi-agent systems (NMASs) with a communication delay is investigated in this article, where the dynamics of agents described by discrete-time linear time-invariant systems can be either uniform or non-uniform. For the NMASs with a directed topology and constant delay, a novel protocol based on the networked predictive control scheme is proposed to compensate for communication delay actively. Using algebraic graph theories and matrix theories, necessary and/or sufficient conditions of achieving consensus are obtained, which indicates that, under the proposed protocol, the consensus is independent of the network delay and only dominated by agents' dynamics and communication topology. Meanwhile, the protocol design and consensus analysis are also presented in the case of no network delay. Simulation results are further presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of theoretical results.     

Cooperative tracking control for general linear multiagent systems with directed intermittent communications: An artificial delay approach

This paper investigates the consensus tracking problem for general linear multiagent systems on directed graph containing a spanning tree. For the considered linear systems, the consensus tracking aim cannot be achieved by using only memoryless static relative output feedbacks. Of particular interest is that both current and delayed relative output information of agents are required to achieve consensus. For the case of continuous communication among agents, an artificial delay output feedback control method is proposed. By utilizing the Taylor representation for the delayed signal with the remainder in the integral form, a delay‐dependent sufficient condition is presented to guarantee the exponential convergence of the global tracking error systems. For the intermittent case, the consensus tracking performance can still be guaranteed based on a multiple graph‐dependent Lyapunov functionals method. It is theoretically revealed that the time delay plays a key role in the exponential convergence of the closed‐loop systems, and the definite relationships among the time delay, network structure, communication rate, and consensus convergence rate are also provided. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is confirmed by numerical simulations.     

通信时延下多智能体系统的安全一致性控制

研究了离散时间多智能体系统存在通信时延条件下的安全一致性问题.本文的目标是设计一种一致性控制算法能够使得网络中各正常智能体抵御敌对智能体的攻击并实现最终状态一致.该算法仅利用个体的自身状态和相邻个体的时延信息作为控制输入,并根据控制器参数、拓扑属性和通信时延,获得了所提算法实现收敛的充要条件.最后,通过仿真实例对理论结果进行了验证.     

时延异构多自主体系统的群一致性分析

针对由一阶自主体和二阶自主体构成的异构多自主体系统的静态群一致性问题,分别提出了在固定连接拓扑和切换连接拓扑结构下的静态群一致性算法。通过构造Lyapunov-Krasovskii函数,得到了系统在具有相同时变通信时延的群一致性算法作用下渐近收敛群一致的充分条件,并以线性矩阵不等式表示。最后,仿真结果表明,所提算法在满足一定条件下能使时延异构多自主体系统渐近收敛群一致。     

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.     

Cluster-delay consensus in multi-agent systems via pinning leader-following approach with intermittent effect

In this paper, the cluster consensus problem with delays of first-order nonlinear multi-agent systems is studied through pinning leader-following approach with periodic intermittent effect. The graph of the networked system is assumed to be directed and weakly connected. A new type of pinning consensus protocol with intermittent effect is designed according to the ways in which the agents link, specifically, the agents in each cluster are divided into three subsets due to the orientation of their topological degree, and each subset of agents is controlled by an individual law. A redefined notion on cluster consensus with two sorts of time delays is proposed in this article. Some consensus criteria are derived to guarantee that the agents in the same cluster asymptotically follow the virtual leader with a delay, while agents in different clusters reach consensus with delays via following their leaders. Some numerical simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

通信受限的多智能体系统二分实用一致性

针对存在量化数据、通信时滞等通信约束以及带有竞争关系的多智能体系统, 研究其二分实用一致性问题, 提出了一种基于量化器的分布式控制协议. 该协议基于结构平衡拓扑假设, 通过规范变换将具有竞争关系系统转变为具有非负连接权重系统, 使二分实用一致性问题转变为一般实用一致性问题. 利用微分包含理论、菲利波夫解的框架、代数图论以及Lyapunov稳定性理论, 证明了在本文所提控制策略下, 具有竞争关系的多智能体系统能实现二分实用一致, 即智能体状态收敛至模相同但符号不同的可控区间, 并给出了误差收敛上界值. 仿真试验进一步验证了理论结果的有效性.     

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Consensus in Third Order Multi-Agent Systems

We deal with a consensus control problem for a group of third order agents which are networked by digraphs. Assuming that the control input of each agent is constructed based on weighted difference between its states and those of its neighbor agents, we aim to propose an algorithm on computing the weighting coefficients in the control input. The problem is reduced to designing Hurwitz polynomials with real or complex coefficients. We show that by using Hurwitz polynomials with complex coefficients, a necessary and sufficient condition can be obtained for designing the consensus algorithm. Since the condition is both necessary and sufficient, we provide a kind of parametrization for all the weighting coefficients achieving consensus. Moreover, the condition is a natural extension to second order consensus, and is reasonable and practical due to its comparatively decreased computation burden. The result is also extended to the case where communication delay exists in the control input.      

Stationary consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems with bounded communication delays

Consensus seeking is investigated for the discrete-time heterogeneous multi-agent systems composed of first-order agents and second-order agents, and two stationary consensus algorithms are constructed for the first-order agents and the second-order agents, respectively. Based on the properties of nonnegative matrices, sufficient consensus criteria are obtained for the agents with bounded communication delays under fixed topology and switching topologies, respectively. With some prerequisites on the coupling weights and the sampling interval, the asymptotic consensus achievement of the dynamic agents is independent of the communication delay, but strictly depends on the connectedness of the interconnection topology. Simulation results illustrate the correctness of the results.     

A new framework for consensus for discrete-time directed networks of multi-agents with distributed delays

In this article, the distributed consensus problem is considered for discrete-time delayed networks of dynamic agents with fixed topologies, where the networks under investigation are directed and the time delays involved are distributed time delays including a single or multiple time delay(s) as special cases. By using the invariance principle of delay difference systems, a new unified framework is established to deal with the consensus for the discrete-time delayed multi-agent system. It is shown that the addressed discrete-time network with arbitrary distributed time delays reaches consensus provided that it is strongly connected. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the proposed methods.     

Guaranteed Cost Consensus for High-dimensional Multi-agent Systems With Time-varying Delays

Guaranteed cost consensus analysis and design problems for high-dimensional multi-agent systems with timevarying delays are investigated. The idea of guaranteed cost control is introduced into consensus problems for high-dimensional multi-agent systems with time-varying delays, where a cost function is defined based on state errors among neighboring agents and control inputs of all the agents. By the state space decomposition approach and the linear matrix inequality (LMI), sufficient conditions for guaranteed cost consensus and consensualization are given. Moreover, a guaranteed cost upper bound of the cost function is determined. It should be mentioned that these LMI criteria are dependent on the change rate of time delays and the maximum time delay, the guaranteed cost upper bound is only dependent on the maximum time delay but independent of the Laplacian matrix. Finally, numerical simulations are given to demonstrate theoretical results.      

Constrained consensus of discrete-time multi-agent systems with time delay

In this paper, we consider the consensus conditions for discrete-time multi-agent systems with communication delay between agents, subject to that each agent's state is constrained to lie in a given convex set. And we will present some consensus conditions for unconstrained multi-agent systems with time delay.