Dynamic Event-Triggered Consensus Control for Input Constrained Multi-Agent Systems With a Designable Minimum Inter-Event Time

This paper investigates the consensus control of multi-agent systems(MASs) with constrained input using the dynamic event-triggered mechanism(ETM).Consider the MASs with small-scale networks where a centralized dynamic ETM with global information of the MASs is first designed.Then,a distributed dynamic ETM which only uses local information is developed for the MASs with large-scale networks.It is shown that the semi-global consensus of the MASs can be achieved by the designed bounded control protocol where the Zeno phenomenon is eliminated by a designable minimum inter-event time.In addition,it is easier to find a trade-off between the convergence rate and the minimum inter-event time by an adjustable parameter.Furthermore,the results are extended to regional consensus of the MASs with the bounded control protocol.Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Dynamic Event-Triggered Fixed-Time Consensus Control and Its Applications to Magnetic Map Construction

This article deals with the consensus problem of multi-agent systems by developing a fixed-time consensus control approach with a dynamic event-triggered rule. First, a new fixedtime stability condition is obtained where the less conservative settling time is given such that the theoretical settling time can well reflect the real consensus time. Second, a dynamic event-triggered rule is designed to decrease the use of chip and network resources where Zeno behaviors can be avoided after consensus is achieved, especially for finite/fixed-time consensus control approaches. Third, in terms of the developed dynamic event-triggered rule, a fixed-time consensus control approach by introducing a new item is proposed to coordinate the multi-agent system to reach consensus. The corresponding stability of the multi-agent system with the proposed control approach and dynamic eventtriggered rule is analyzed based on Lyapunov theory and the fixed-time stability theorem. At last, the effectiveness of the dynamic event-triggered fixed-time consensus control approach is verified by simulations and experiments for the problem of magnetic map construction based on multiple mobile robots.

Consensus Control of Multi-Agent Systems Using Fault-Estimation-in-the-Loop:Dynamic Event-Triggered Case

The paper develops a novel framework of consensus control with fault-estimation-in-the-loop for multi-agent systems(MASs)in the presence of faults.A dynamic event-triggered protocol(DETP)by adding an auxiliary variable is utilized to improve the utilization of communication resources.First,a novel estimator with a noise bias is put forward to estimate the existed fault and then a consensus controller with fault compensation(FC)is adopted to realize the demand of reliability and safety of addressed MASs.Subsequently,a novel consensus control framework with fault-estimation-in-the-loop is developed to achieve the predetermined consensus performance with the l_(2)-l_(∞)constraint by employing the variance analysis and the Lyapunov stability approaches.Furthermore,the desired estimator and controller gains are obtained in light of the solution to an algebraic matrix equation and a linear matrix inequality in a recursive way,respectively.Finally,a simulation result is employed to verify the usefulness of the proposed design framework.

Consensus Control of Leader-Following Multi-Agent Systems in Directed Topology With Heterogeneous Disturbances

This paper investigates the consensus problem for linear multi-agent systems with the heterogeneous disturbances generated by the Brown motion.Its main contribution is that a control scheme is designed to achieve the dynamic consensus for the multi-agent systems in directed topology interfered by stochastic noise.In traditional ways,the coupling weights depending on the communication structure are static.A new distributed controller is designed based on Riccati inequalities,while updating the coupling weights associated with the gain matrix by state errors between adjacent agents.By introducing time-varying coupling weights into this novel control law,the state errors between leader and followers asymptotically converge to the minimum value utilizing the local interaction.Through the Lyapunov directed method and It?formula,the stability of the closed-loop system with the proposed control law is analyzed.Two simulation results conducted by the new and traditional schemes are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of the developed control method.

H_∞ consensus control of a class of second-order multi-agent systems without relative velocity measurement

This paper studies consensus control problems for a class of second-order multi-agent systems without relative velocity measurement. Some dynamic neighbour-based rules are adopted for the agents in the presence of external disturbances. A sufficient condition is derived to make all agents achieve consensus while satisfying desired H∞ performance. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to show the effectiveness of our theoretical results.

Sliding mode fault tolerant consensus control for multi-agent systems based on super-twisting observer

The fault-tolerant consensus problem for leader-following nonlinear multi-agent systems with actuator faults is mainly investigated.A new super-twisting sliding mode observer is constructed to estimate the velocity and undetectable fault information simultaneously.The time-varying gain is introduced to solve the initial error problem and peak value problem,which makes the observation more accurate and faster.Then,based on the estimated results,an improved sliding mode fault-tolerant consensus control algorithm is designed to compensate the actuator faults.The protocol can guarantee the finite-time consensus control of multi-agent systems and suppress chattering.Finally,the effectiveness and the superiority of the observer and control algorithm are proved by some simulation examples of the multi-aircraft system.

Consensus control of second-order stochastic discrete-time multi-agent systems without velocity transmission

This article studies the almost-sure and the mean-square consensus control problems of second-order stochastic discrete-time multi-agent systems with multiplicative noises.First,a control law based on the absolute velocity and relative position information is designed.Second,considering the existence of multiplicative noises and nonlinear terms with Lipschitz constants,the consensus control problem is solved through the use of a degenerated Lyapunov function.Then,for the linear second-order multi-agent systems,some explicit consensus conditions are provided.Finally,two sets of numerical simulations are performed.

A Tutorial on Quantized Feedback Control

In this tutorial paper, we explore the field of quantized feedback control, which has gained significant attention due to the growing prevalence of networked control systems. These systems require the transmission of feedback information, such as measurements and control signals, over digital networks, presenting novel challenges in estimation and control design. Our examination encompasses various topics, including the minimal information needed for effective feedback control, the design of quantizers, strategies for quantized control design and estimation,achieving consensus control with quantized data, and the pursuit of high-precision tracking using quantized measurements.

Consensus controller for multi-UAV navigation

In this paper, we design consensus algorithms for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles （UAV）. We mainly focus on the control design in the face of measurement noise and propose a position consensus controller based on the sliding mode control by using the distributed UAV information. Within the framework of Lyapunov theory, it is shown that all signals in the closed-loop multi- UAV systems are stabilized by the proposed algorithm, while consensus errors are uniformly ultimately bounded. Moreover, for each local UAV, we propose a mechanism to define the trustworthiness, based on which the edge weights are tuned to eliminate negative influence from stubborn agents or agents exposed to extremely noisy measurement. Finally, we develop software for a nano UAV platform, based on which we implement our algorithms to address measurement noises in UAV flight tests. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.

Consensus control of feedforward nonlinear multi-agent systems:a time-varying gain method

In this paper,the leader–follower consensus of feedforward nonlinear multi-agent systems is achieved by designing the distributed output feedback controllers with a time-varying gain.The agents dynamics are assumed to be in upper triangular structure and satisfy Lipschitz conditions with an unknown constant multiplied by a time-varying function.A time-varying gain,which increases monotonously and tends to infinity,is proposed to construct a compensator for each follower agent.Based on a directed communication topology,the distributed output feedback controller with a time-varying gain is designed for each follower agent by only using the output information of the follower and its neighbors.It is proved by the Lyapunov theorem that the leader–follower consensus of the multi-agent system is achieved by the proposed consensus protocol.The effectiveness of the proposed time-varying gain method is demonstrated by a circuit system.

Consensus control and feedback graph co-design for MIMO discrete-time multi-agent systems

This paper studies consensus control for multi-input/multi-output(MIMO)discrete-time multi-agent systems(MASs).It makes use of the novel idea of resource allocation in designing both the communication graph and feedback controller.The weakest consensusability condition is obtained for MASs over both directed and undirected graphs,which extends the existing results to MIMO discrete-time MASs.Explicit synthesis procedures are also developed.Our work demonstrates the importance of the graph and controller co-design based on resource allocation for MIMO discrete-time MASs.

Consensus control of multi-manipulator systems based on disturbance observer under Markov switching topologies

In this paper,to solve the consensus control problem of multi-manipulator systems under Markov switching topologies,we propose a distributed consensus control strategy based on disturbance observer.In multi-manipulator systems,external disturbance described by heterogeneous exogenous systems is considered,and all communication topologies are directed.First,a disturbance observer is presented to suppress the influence of unknown external disturbance,and the equivalent compensation is introduced into the control protocol in multi-manipulator systems.Then,a novel control protocol based on neighbor information is designed,which guarantees that multi-manipulator systems reach consensus under Markov switching topologies.Finally,two simulation examples verify the validity of the theoretical result.

Consensus control of electric spring using back-to-back converter for voltage regulation with ultra-high renewable penetration

Recent advances in a power electronic device called an electric spring(ES)provide feasible solutions to meeting critical customers’requirements for voltage quality.A new version of the ES was introduced based on a back-to-back converter(ESBC)configuration which extends the operating range and improves the voltage suppression performance to facilitate ultra-high renewable penetration.This paper proposes an efficient control method to facilitate the voltage regulation function of an ESBC with non-critical loads.Particularly,the proposed method is suitable for various load characteristics.We also develop a consensus algorithm to coordinate multiple ESs for maintaining critical bus voltage in distribution systems with ultra-high renewable penetration.The proposed operation of the ESBC is verified by simulation of a modified IEEE 15-bus distribution network.The results show that the ESBC can effectively regulate system voltage and is superior to the original version of the ES.

Group Hybrid Coordination Control of Multi-Agent Systems With Time-Delays and Additive Noises

A new kind of group coordination control problemgroup hybrid coordination control is investigated in this paper.The group hybrid coordination control means that in a whole multi-agent system(MAS)that consists of two subgroups with communications between them,agents in the two subgroups achieve consensus and containment,respectively.For MASs with both time-delays and additive noises,two group control protocols are proposed to solve this problem for the containment-oriented case and consensus-oriented case,respectively.By developing a new analysis idea,some sufficient conditions and necessary conditions related to the communication intensity betw een the two subgroups are obtained for the following two types of group hybrid coordination behavior:1)Agents in one subgroup and in another subgroup achieve weak consensus and containment,respectively;2)Agents in one subgroup and in another subgroup achieve strong consensus and containment,respectively.It is revealed that the decay of the communication impact betw een the two subgroups is necessary for the consensus-oriented case.Finally,the validity of the group control results is verified by several simulation examples.

Consensus of multiple autonomous underwater vehicles with double independent Markovian switching topologies and timevarying delays

A new method in which the consensus algorithm is used to solve the coordinate control problems of leaderless multiple autonomous underwater vehicles（multi-AUVs） with double independent Markovian switching communication topologies and time-varying delays among the underwater sensors is investigated.This is accomplished by first dividing the communication topology into two different switching parts,i.e.,velocity and position,to reduce the data capacity per data package sent between the multi-AUVs in the ocean.Then,the state feedback linearization is used to simplify and rewrite the complex nonlinear and coupled mathematical model of the AUVs into a double-integrator dynamic model.Consequently,coordinate control of the multi-AUVs is regarded as an approximating consensus problem with various time-varying delays and velocity and position topologies.Considering these factors,sufficient conditions of consensus control are proposed and analyzed and the stability of the multi-AUVs is proven by Lyapunov-Krasovskii theorem.Finally,simulation results that validate the theoretical results are presented.

Research on consensus of multi-agent systems with and without input saturation constraints

In recent years,with the continuous development of multi-agent technology represented by unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)swarm,consensus control has become a hot spot in academic research.In this paper,we put forward a discrete-time consensus protocol and obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions for the second-order consensus of the second-order multi-agent system with a fixed structure under the condition of no saturation input.The theoretical derivation verifies that the two eigenvalues of the Laplacian of the communication network matrix and the sampling period have an important effect on achieving consensus.Then we construct and verify sufficient conditions to achieve consensus under the condition of input saturation constraints.The results show that consensus can be achieved if velocity,position gain,and sampling period satisfy a set of inequalities related to the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix.Finally,the accuracy and validity of the theoretical results are proved by numerical simulations.

Open-loop and closed-loop D^(α)-type iterative learning control for fractional-order linear multi-agent systems with state-delays

This study focuses on implementing consensus tracking using both open-loop and closed-loop Dα-type iterative learning control(ILC)schemes,for fractional-order multi-agent systems(FOMASs)with state-delays.The desired trajectory is constructed by introducing a virtual leader,and the fixed communication topology is considered and only a subset of followers can access the desired trajectory.For each control scheme,one controller is designed for one agent individually.According to the tracking error between the agent and the virtual leader,and the tracking errors between the agent and neighboring agents during the last iteration(for open-loop scheme)or the current running(for closed-loop scheme),each controller continuously corrects the last control law by a combination of communication weights in the topology to obtain the ideal control law.Through the rigorous analysis,sufficient conditions for both control schemes are established to ensure that all agents can achieve the asymptotically consistent output along the iteration axis within a finite-time interval.Sufficient numerical simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the control schemes,and provide some meaningful comparison results.

Distributed Detection Mechanism and Resilient Consensus Strategy for Secure Voltage Control of AC Microgrids

Distributed secondary control,depending on the sparse communication topology,excels for its flexibility and expandability in microgrids.The communication network plays an important role in microgrid control,but it is vulnerable to cyber-attacks.In this paper,the mathematical model for false data injection(FDI)attacks in AC microgrids is established,and the corresponding detection mechanism based on the morphological gradient is designed for the location of cyber-attacks in communication topology.Then,we propose a median-based resilient consensus voltage control strategy to mitigate the negative effects caused by malicious cyber-attacks and ensure the safe operation of the microgrid.Combining the detection method and resilient consensus control,a novel eventdriven mitigation scheme is derived to improve the resilience of microgrids under cyber-attacks.Finally,a tested microgrid model composed of five different distributed generation(DG)units is simulated in the MATLAB/Simulink environment.The feasibility and effectiveness of the presented detection mechanism and resilient consensus strategy are verified by simulation results applying different scenarios.

ON CONTROL OF STRONG CONSENSUS FOR NETWORKED AGENTS WITH NOISY OBSERVATIONS

The discrete-time first-order multi-agent networks with communication noises are under consideration. Based on the noisy observations, the consensus control is given for networks with both fixed and time-varying topologies. The states of agents in the resulting closed-loop network are updated by a stochastic approximation （SA） algorithm, and the consensus analysis for networks turns to be the convergence analysis for SA. For networks with fixed topologies, the proposed consensus control leads to consensus of agents with probability one if the graph associated with the network is connected. In the case of time-varying topologies, the similar results are derived if the graph is jointly connected in a fixed time period. Compared with existing results, the networks considered here are in a more general setting under weaker assumptions and the strong consensus is established by a simpler proof.

CONTROL OF VEHICLE PLATOONS FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY AND EFFICIENT UTILITY:CONSENSUS WITH COMMUNICATIONS AND VEHICLE DYNAMICS

Platoon formation of highway vehicles is a critical foundation for autonomous or semiautonomous vehicle control for enhanced safety,improved highway utility,increased fuel economy,and reduced emission toward intelligent transportation systems.Platoon control encounters great challenges from vehicle control,communications,team coordination,and uncertainties.This paper introduces a new method for coordinated control of platoons by using integrated network consensus decisions and vehicle control.To achieve suitable coordination of the team vehicles based on terrain and environmental conditions,the emerging technology of network consensus control is modified to a weighted and constrained consensus-seeking framework.Algorithms are introduced and their convergence properties are established.The methodology employs neighborhood information through on-board sensors and V2 V or V2 I communications,but achieves global coordination of the entire platoon.The ability of the methods in terms of robustness,disturbance rejection,noise attenuation,and cyber-physical interaction is analyzed and demonstrated with simulated case studies.