Lyapunov-Based Output Containment Control of Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems With Markovian Switching Topologies and Distributed Delays

This paper considers the mean square output containment control problem for heterogeneous multi-agent systems(MASs)with randomly switching topologies and nonuniform distributed delays.By modeling the switching topologies as a continuous-time Markov process and taking the distributed delays into consideration,a novel distributed containment observer is proposed to estimate the convex hull spanned by the leaders'states.A novel distributed output feedback containment controller is then designed without using the prior knowledge of distributed delays.By constructing a novel switching Lyapunov functional,the output containment control problem is then solved in the sense of mean square under an easily-verifiable sufficient condition.Finally,two numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

Finite-time consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems

We investigate the finite-time consensus problem for heterogeneous multi-agent systems composed of first-order and second-order agents.A novel continuous nonlinear distributed consensus protocol is constructed,and finite-time consensus criteria are obtained for the heterogeneous multi-agent systems.Compared with the existing results,the stationary and kinetic consensuses of the heterogeneous multi-agent systems can be achieved in a finite time respectively.Moreover,the leader can be a first-order or a second-order integrator agent.Finally,some simulation examples are employed to verify the efficiency of the theoretical results.

Generation of optimal persistent formations for heterogeneous multi-agent systems with a leader constraint

In this study, we consider the generation of optimal persistent formations for heterogeneous multi-agent systems, with the leader constraint that only specific agents can act as leaders. We analyze three modes to control the optimal persistent formations in two-dimensional space, thereby establishing a model for their constrained generation. Then, we propose an algorithm for generating the optimal persistent formation for heterogeneous multi-agent systems with a leader constraint （LC-HMAS-OPFGA）, which is the exact solution algorithm of the model, and we theoretically prove its validity. This algorithm includes two kernel sub-algorithms, which are optimal persistent graph generating algorithm based on a minimum cost arborescence and the shortest path （MCA-SP-OPGGA）, and the optimal persistent graph adjusting algorithm based on the shortest path （SP-OPGAA）. Under a given agent formation shape and leader constraint, LC-HMAS-OPFGA first generates the network topology and its optimal rigid graph corresponding to this formation shape. Then, LC-HMAS- OPFGA uses MCA-SP-OPGGA to direct the optimal rigid graph to generate the optimal persistent graph. Finally, LC- HMAS-OPFGA uses SP-OPGAA to adjust the optimal persistent graph until it satisfies the leader constraint. We also demonstrate the algorithm, LC-HMAS-OPFGA, with an example and verify its effectiveness.

Consensus protocol for heterogeneous multi-agent systems: A Markov chain approach

This paper deals with the consensus problem for heterogeneous multi-agent systems. Different from most existing consensus protocols, we consider the consensus seeking of two types of agents, namely, active agents and passive agents. The objective is to directly control the active agents such that the states of all the agents would achieve consensus. In order to obtain a computational approach, we subtly introduce an appropriate Markov chain to cast the heterogeneous systems into a unified framework. Such a framework is helpful for tackling the constraints from passive agents. Furthermore, a sufficient and necessary condition is established to guarantee the consensus in heterogeneous multi-agent systems. Finally, simulation results are provided to verify the theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed protocol.

Consensus pursuit of heterogeneous multi-agent systems under a directed acyclic graph

This paper is concerned with the cooperative target pursuit problem by multiple agents based on directed acyclic graph. The target appears at a random location and moves only when sensed by the agents, and agents will pursue the target once they detect its existence. Since the ability of each agent may be different, we consider the heterogeneous multi-agent systems. According to the topology of the multi-agent systems, a novel consensus-based control law is proposed, where the target and agents are modeled as a leader and followers, respectively. Based on Mason＇s rule and signal flow graph analysis, the convergence conditions are provided to show that the agents can catch the target in a finite time. Finally, simulation studies are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems based on sampled data with a small sampling delay

In this paper, consensus problems of heterogeneous multi-agent systems based on sampled data with a small sampling delay are considered. First, a consensus protocol based on sampled data with a small sampling delay for heterogeneous multi-agent systems is proposed. Then, the algebra graph theory, the matrix method, the stability theory of linear systems, and some other techniques are employed to derive the necessary and sufficient conditions guaranteeing heterogeneous multi-agent systems to asymptotically achieve the stationary consensus. Finally, simulations are performed to demonstrate the correctness of the theoretical results.

Containment control for heterogeneous multi-agent systems with time delay via an output regulation approach

This paper presents the containment analysis and design of heterogeneous linear multi-agent systems(MAS)with time-delay under the output regulation.The leaders are treated as exosystems and an modified output regulation error is designed,which can deal with more than one leader in containment control,then the containment problem will be turned into an output regulation problem.A novel analysis framework of the output regulation is proposed to design a dynamic state feedback control law for containment error and distributed observer when the agents cannot receive external system signal,which guarantees the convergence of all follower agents to the dynamic convex hull spanned by the leaders.The system stability for time-delay containment is proved by the output regulation method instead of the Lyapunov method.Finally,a numerical example is given to illustrate the validity of the theoretical results.

Distributed Adaptive Fault-Tolerant Output Regulation of Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems With Coupling Uncertainties and Actuator Faults

In this paper, we consider the distributed adaptive fault-tolerant output regulation problem for heterogeneous multiagent systems with matched system uncertainties and mismatched coupling uncertainties among subsystems under the influence of actuator faults. First, distributed finite-time observers are proposed for all subsystems to observe the state of the exosystem. Then, a novel fault-tolerant controller is designed to compensate for the influence of matched system uncertainties and actuator faults. By using the linear matrix inequality technique, a sufficient condition is provided to guarantee the solvability of the considered problem in the presence of mismatched coupling uncertainties. Moreover, it is shown that the system in closed-loop with the developed controller can achieve output regulation by using the Lyapunov stability theory and cyclic-small-gain theory.Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained result.

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.

Tracking consensus for nonlinear heterogeneous multi-agent systems subject to unknown disturbances via sliding mode control

We investigate the tracking control for a class of nonlinear heterogeneous leader-follower multi-agent systems（MAS）with unknown external disturbances. Firstly, the neighbor-based distributed finite-time observers are proposed for the followers to estimate the position and velocity of the leader. Then, two novel distributed adaptive control laws are designed by means of linear sliding mode（LSM） as well as nonsingular terminal sliding mode（NTSM）, respectively. One can prove that the tracking consensus can be achieved asymptotically under LSM and the tracking error can converge to a quite small neighborhood of the origin in finite time by NTSM in spite of uncertainties and disturbances. Finally, a simulation example is given to verify the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results.

Event-triggered distributed cross-dimensional formation control for heterogeneous multi-agent systems

This paper concerns the event-triggered distributed cross-dimensional formation control problem of heterogeneous multi-agent systems(HMASs)subject to limited network resources.The central aim is to design an effective distributed formation control scheme that will achieve the desired formation control objectives even in the presence of restricted communication.Consequently,a multi-dimensional HMAS is first developed,where a group of agents are assigned to several subgroups based on their dimensions.Then,to mitigate the excessive consumption of communication resources,a cross-dimensional event-triggered communication mechanism is designed to reduce the information interaction among agents with different dimensions.Under the proposed event-based communication mechanism,the problem of HMAS cross-dimensional formation control is transformed into the asymptotic stability problem of a closed-loop error system.Furthermore,several stability criteria for designing a cross-dimensional formation control protocol and communication schedule are presented in an environment where there is no information interaction among follower agents.Finally,a simulation case study is provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed formation control protocol.

Distributed Adaptive Output Consensus of Unknown Heterogeneous Non-Minimum Phase Multi-Agent Systems

This article addresses the leader-following output consensus problem of heterogeneous linear multi-agent systems with unknown agent parameters under directed graphs.The dynamics of followers are allowed to be non-minimum phase with unknown arbitrary individual relative degrees.This is contrary to many existing works on distributed adaptive control schemes where agent dynamics are required to be minimum phase and often of the same relative degree.A distributed adaptive pole placement control scheme is developed,which consists of a distributed observer and an adaptive pole placement control law.It is shown that under the proposed distributed adaptive control scheme,all signals in the closed-loop system are bounded and the outputs of all the followers track the output of the leader asymptotically.The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated by one practical example and one numerical example.

Semi-global weighted output average tracking of discrete-time heterogeneous multi-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.

Mean-Square Output Consensus of Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems with Multiplicative Noises in Dynamics and Measurements

This paper studies the output consensus problem of heterogeneous linear stochastic multiagent systems with multiplicative noises in system parameters and measurements,where the system noise in each agent is allowed to be different.By employing stochastic output regulation theory and the stochastic Lyapunov function approach,a composite controller embedded with stochastic output regulator equations(SOREs)and a stochastic dynamic compensator is designed to achieve the meansquare output consensus of the multi-agent systems.To implement the consensus algorithm,a sufficient condition for feasible solutions of the SOREs is first established in terms of Lyapunov and Selvester equations.Then the time-varying SOREs are approximated by the Euler-Maruyama method combined with an a-posteriori partial estimation of the increments of the Brownian motion.A numerical example illustrates the theoretical results.

基于Multi-Agent的无人机集群体系自主作战系统设计

针对无人集群自主作战体系设计中的关键问题,提出基于Multi-Agent的无人集群自主作战系统设计方法。建立无人集群各节点的Agent模型及其推演规则;对于仿真系统模块化和通用化的需求,设计系统互操作式接口和无人集群自主作战的交互关系;开展无人集群系统仿真推演验证。仿真结果表明,所提设计方案不仅能够有效开展并完成自主作战网络生成-集群演化-效能评估的全过程动态演示验证,而且能够通过重复随机试验进一步评估无人集群的协同作战效能,最后总结了集群协同作战的策略和经验。

基于Multi-Agent的水电站变压器故障诊断系统

为了精准、快速完成水电站变压器的故障诊断,设计基于Multi-Agent的水电站变压器故障诊断系统。变压器状态监控agent将检测到的变压器故障信息发送给系统管理agent,系统管理agent通过通信agent将变压器故障信息发送给变压器故障诊断agent,变压器故障诊断agent利用小波变换方法提取变压器故障特征,并将其作为IFOA-SVM模型输入,完成变压器故障分类后,获取变压器故障诊断结果,该结果通过通信agent显示给用户。实验表明,该系统可有效诊断变压器故障诊断,诊断成功率受系统故障信息丢失率的影响较小,诊断耗时、耗能小,并具有较高故障诊断成功率。

Consensus Problem of Heterogeneous Multi-agent Systems with Time Delay under Fixed and Switching Topologies

Consensus problem is investigated for heterogeneous multi-agent systems composed of first-order agents and second-order agents in this paper. Leader-following consensus protocol is adopted to solve consensus problem of heterogeneous multi-agent systems with time-varying communication and input delays. By constructing Lyapunov-Krasovkii functional, sufficient consensus conditions in linear matrix inequality(LMI) form are obtained for the system under fixed interconnection topology. Moreover, consensus conditions are also obtained for the heterogeneous systems under switching topologies with time delays. Simulation examples are given to illustrate effectiveness of the results.

Enabling heterogeneous catalysis to achieve carbon neutrality: Directional catalytic conversion of CO_(2) into carboxylic acids

The increase in anthropogenic carbon dioxide(CO_(2))emissions has exacerbated the deterioration of the global environment,which should be controlled to achieve carbon neutrality.Central to the core goal of achieving carbon neutrality is the utilization of CO_(2) under economic and sustainable conditions.Recently,the strong need for carbon neutrality has led to a proliferation of studies on the direct conversion of CO_(2) into carboxylic acids,which can effectively alleviate CO_(2) emissions and create high-value chemicals.The purpose of this review is to present the application prospects of carboxylic acids and the basic principles of CO_(2) conversion into carboxylic acids through photo-,electric-,and thermal catalysis.Special attention is focused on the regulation strategy of the activity of abundant catalysts at the molecular level,inspiring the preparation of high-performance catalysts.In addition,theoretical calculations,advanced technologies,and numerous typical examples are introduced to elaborate on the corresponding process and influencing factors of catalytic activity.Finally,challenges and prospects are provided for the future development of this field.It is hoped that this review will contribute to a deeper understanding of the conversion of CO_(2) into carboxylic acids and inspire more innovative breakthroughs.

UAV-Assisted Dynamic Avatar Task Migration for Vehicular Metaverse Services: A Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

Avatars, as promising digital representations and service assistants of users in Metaverses, can enable drivers and passengers to immerse themselves in 3D virtual services and spaces of UAV-assisted vehicular Metaverses. However, avatar tasks include a multitude of human-to-avatar and avatar-to-avatar interactive applications, e.g., augmented reality navigation,which consumes intensive computing resources. It is inefficient and impractical for vehicles to process avatar tasks locally. Fortunately, migrating avatar tasks to the nearest roadside units(RSU)or unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) for execution is a promising solution to decrease computation overhead and reduce task processing latency, while the high mobility of vehicles brings challenges for vehicles to independently perform avatar migration decisions depending on current and future vehicle status. To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose a novel avatar task migration system based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(MADRL) to execute immersive vehicular avatar tasks dynamically. Specifically, we first formulate the problem of avatar task migration from vehicles to RSUs/UAVs as a partially observable Markov decision process that can be solved by MADRL algorithms. We then design the multi-agent proximal policy optimization(MAPPO) approach as the MADRL algorithm for the avatar task migration problem. To overcome slow convergence resulting from the curse of dimensionality and non-stationary issues caused by shared parameters in MAPPO, we further propose a transformer-based MAPPO approach via sequential decision-making models for the efficient representation of relationships among agents. Finally, to motivate terrestrial or non-terrestrial edge servers(e.g., RSUs or UAVs) to share computation resources and ensure traceability of the sharing records, we apply smart contracts and blockchain technologies to achieve secure sharing management. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the MAPPO approach by around 2% and effectively reduces approximately 20% of the latency of avatar task execution in UAV-assisted vehicular Metaverses.