Trajectory Control of Scale-Free Dynamical Networks with Exogenous Disturbances

In this paper, the trajectory control of multi-agent dynamical systems with exogenous disturbances is studied. Suppose multiple agents composing of a scale-free network topology, the performance of rejecting disturbances for the low degree node and high degree node is analyzed. Firstly, the consensus of multi-agent systems without disturbances is studied by designing a pinning control strategy on a part of agents, where this pinning control can bring multiple agents' states to an expected consensus track. Then, theinfluence of the disturbances is considered by developing disturbance observers, and disturbance observers based control (DOBC) are developed for disturbances generated by an exogenous system to estimate the disturbances. Asymptotical consensus of the multi-agent systems with disturbances under the composite controller can be achieved for scale-free network topology. Finally, by analyzing examples of multi-agent systems with scale-free network topology and exogenous disturbances, the verities of the results are proved. Under the DOBC with the designed parameters, the trajectory convergence of multi-agent systems is researched by pinning two class of the nodes. We have found that it has more stronger robustness to exogenous disturbances for the high degree node pinned than that of the lowdegree node pinned.     

Consensus for second-order multi-agent systems with position sampled data

In this paper, the consensus problem with position sampled data for second-order multi-agent systems is investigated.The interaction topology among the agents is depicted by a directed graph. The full-order and reduced-order observers with position sampled data are proposed, by which two kinds of sampled data-based consensus protocols are constructed. With the provided sampled protocols, the consensus convergence analysis of a continuous-time multi-agent system is equivalently transformed into that of a discrete-time system. Then, by using matrix theory and a sampled control analysis method, some sufficient and necessary consensus conditions based on the coupling parameters, spectrum of the Laplacian matrix and sampling period are obtained. While the sampling period tends to zero, our established necessary and sufficient conditions are degenerated to the continuous-time protocol case, which are consistent with the existing result for the continuous-time case. Finally, the effectiveness of our established results is illustrated by a simple simulation example.     

Group consensus of multi-agent systems subjected to cyber-attacks

In this paper, we investigate the group consensus for leaderless multi-agent systems. The group consensus protocol based on the position information from neighboring agents is designed. The network may be subjected to frequent cyberattacks, which is close to an actual case. The cyber-attacks are assumed to be recoverable. By utilizing algebraic graph theory, linear matrix inequality(LMI) and Lyapunov stability theory, the multi-agent systems can achieve group consensus under the proposed control protocol. The sufficient conditions of the group consensus for the multi-agent networks subjected to cyber-attacks are given. Furthermore, the results are extended to the consensus issue of multiple subgroups with cyber-attacks. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

Consensus of second-order multi-agent dynamic systems with quantized data

The consensus problem of second-order multi-agent systems with quantized link is investigated in this Letter. Some conditions are derived for the quantized consensus of the second-order multi-agent systems by the stability theory. Moreover, a result characterizing the relationship between the eigenvalues of the Laplacians matrix and the quantized consensus is obtained. Examples are given to illustrate the theoretical analysis.     

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.     

Consensus problem in directed networks of multi-agents via nonlinear protocols

In this Letter, the consensus problem via distributed nonlinear protocols for directed networks is investigated. Its dynamical behaviors are described by ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Based on graph theory, matrix theory and the Lyapunov direct method, some sufficient conditions of nonlinear protocols guaranteeing asymptotical or exponential consensus are presented and rigorously proved. The main contribution of this work is that for nonlinearly coupled networks, we generalize the results for undirected networks to directed networks. Consensus under pinning control technique is also developed here. Simulations are also given to show the validity of the theories.     

Cluster consensus of second-order multi-agent systems via pinning control

This paper investigates the cluster consensus problem for second-order multi-agent systems by applying the pinning control method to a small collection of the agents.Consensus is attained independently for different agent clusters according to the community structure generated by the group partition of the underlying graph and sufficient conditions for both cluster and general consensus are obtained by using results from algebraic graph theory and the LaSalle Invariance Principle.Finally,some simple simulations are presented to illustrate the technique.     

Successive lag synchronization on dynamical networks with communication delay

In this paper, successive lag synchronization(SLS) on a dynamical network with communication delay is investigated.In order to achieve SLS on the dynamical network with communication delay, we design linear feedback control and adaptive control, respectively. By using the Lyapunov function method, we obtain some sufficient conditions for global stability of SLS. To verify these results, some numerical examples are further presented. This work may find potential applications in consensus of multi-agent systems.     

Consensus problem in multi-agent systems with physical position neighbourhood evolving network

In multi-agent system (MAS), the communication topology of agent network plays a very important role in its consensus problem. To describe the communication topologies of MAS, a class of evolving network models with the concept of physical position neighbourhood connectivity are proposed and studied in this paper. The analysis and simulation results for network parameters such as the first nonzero eigenvalue and maximal eigenvalue of graph Laplacian matrix, clustering coefficients, average distances and degree distributions for different evolving parameters of these models are presented. The dynamical behaviour of each node on the consensus problem is also studied. It was found that the time to reach consensus becomes shorter sharply with the increasing of neighbourhood depth of the nodes in these models. And it was also found that for the maximal distance preferential attachment model (Model 3), the synthetic characteristic, such as robustness to communication delay, as well as convergence speed in consensus problem, is the best in all these models.     

Emergent collective behaviors on coopetition networks

Cooperation and competition are two typical interactional relationships for intra-networks and inter-networks. This paper investigates the modeling of coopetition networks and the collective dynamics on such networks. The coopetition networks are firstly modeled by directed signed graphs. The evolutionary relationships among individuals on the coopetition networks are described by a neighbor-based dynamics model, which is also called multi-agent system (MAS). Then, under a weak connectivity assumption that the signed network has a spanning tree, some sufficient conditions are derived for the consensus, polarization or fragmentation behaviors of the MAS with the help of the structural balance theory. At the same time, signless Laplacian matrix and signed Laplacian matrix are introduced to analyze the collective dynamics of the MAS on coopetition networks. Finally, simulation results are provided to demonstrate the emergence of diverse collective behaviors on coopetition networks.     

Distributed formation control for a multi-agent system with dynamic and static obstacle avoidances

Formation control and obstacle avoidance for multi-agent systems have attracted more and more attention. In this paper, the problems of formation control and obstacle avoidance are investigated by means of a consensus algorithm. A novel distributed control model is proposed for the multi-agent system to form the anticipated formation as well as achieve obstacle avoidance. Based on the consensus algorithm, a distributed control function consisting of three terms(formation control term, velocity matching term, and obstacle avoidance term) is presented. By establishing a novel formation control matrix, a formation control term is constructed such that the agents can converge to consensus and reach the anticipated formation. A new obstacle avoidance function is developed by using the modified potential field approach to make sure that obstacle avoidance can be achieved whether the obstacle is in a dynamic state or a stationary state. A velocity matching term is also put forward to guarantee that the velocities of all agents converge to the same value. Furthermore, stability of the control model is proven. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control.     

Synchronizability on complex networks via pinning control

It is proved that the maximum eigenvalue sequence of the principal submatrices of coupling matrix is decreasing. The method of calculating the number of pinning nodes is given based on this theory. The findings reveal the relationship between the decreasing speed of maximum eigenvalue sequence of the principal submatrices for coupling matrix and the synchronizability on complex networks via pinning control. We discuss the synchronizability on some networks, such as scale-free networks and small-world networks. Numerical simulations show that different pinning strategies have different pinning synchronizability on the same complex network, and the consistence between the synchronizability with pinning control and one without pinning control in various complex networks.     

Consensus protocol for multi-agent continuous systems

Based on the algebraic graph theory, the networked multi-agent continuous systems are investigated. Firstly, the digraph （directed graph） represents the topology of a networked system, and then a consensus convergence criterion of system is proposed. Secondly, the issue of stability of multi-agent systems and the consensus convergence problem of information states are all analysed. Furthermore, the consensus equilibrium point of system is proved to be global and asymptotically reach the convex combination of initial states. Finally, two examples are taken to show the effectiveness of the results obtained in this paper.     

领导-跟随多智能体系统的滞后一致性

近年来,随着应用的需要和技术的发展,多智能体系统的一致性逐渐成为研究热点.在通信网络和工程应用中,由于信号传播的延迟效应,系统中智能体的状态可能表现为滞后一致.本文提出多智能体系统的滞后一致性概念,研究了有向网络环境下一阶领导-跟随多智能体系统的滞后一致性问题.通过设计合适的控制协议,利用矩阵理论和稳定性理论,获得该系统达到滞后一致的充分条件.数值模拟验证了理论结果的正确性.     

Distributed Consensus Tracking Control of Chaotic Multi-Agent Supply Chain Network: A New Fault-Tolerant,Finite-Time,and Chatter-Free Approach

Over the last years, distributed consensus tracking control has received a lot of attention due to its benefits, such as low operational costs, high resilience, flexible scalability, and so on. However, control methods that do not consider faults in actuators and control agents are impractical in most systems. There is no research in the literature investigating the consensus tracking of supply chain networks subject to disturbances and faults in control input. Motivated by this, the current research studies the fault-tolerant, finite-time, and smooth consensus tracking problems for chaotic multi-agent supply chain networks subject to disturbances, uncertainties, and faults in actuators. The chaotic attractors of a supply chain network are shown, and its corresponding multi-agent system is presented. A new control technique is then proposed, which is suitable for distributed consensus tracking of nonlinear uncertain systems. In the proposed scheme, the effects of faults in control actuators and robustness against unknown time-varying disturbances are taken into account. The proposed technique also uses a finite-time super-twisting algorithm that avoids chattering in the system’s response and control input. Lastly, the multi-agent system is considered in the presence of disturbances and actuator faults, and the proposed scheme’s excellent performance is displayed through numerical simulations.     

一类异构多智能体系统固定和切换拓扑下的一致性分析

对包含一阶二阶智能体的异构系统有向图中的一致性问题进行研究.对该系统采用了一种线性分布式一致性协议,基于图论和矩阵分析的方法,分析了在固定和切换拓扑情况下系统获得一致性的充分条件,该条件与控制参数和通信拓扑有关.给出了固定拓扑中系统的一致平衡点,证明了仅通信拓扑中的根节点对平衡点起作用.数值仿真验证了理论分析的正确性.     

Pinning impulsive synchronization of stochastic delayed coupled networks

In this paper,the pinning synchronization problem of stochastic delayed complex network (SDCN) is investigated by using a novel hybrid pinning controller. The proposed hybrid pinning controller is composed of adaptive controller and impulsive controller,where the two controllers are both added to a fraction of nodes in the network. Using the Lyapunov stability theory and the novel hybrid pinning controller,some sufficient conditions are derived for the exponential synchronization of such dynamical networks in mean square. Two numerical simulation examples are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The simulation results show that the proposed control scheme has a fast convergence rate compared with the conventional adaptive pinning method.     

Bounded consensus tracking of second-order multi-agent systems with sampling delay under directed networks

The bounded consensus tracking problems of second-order multi-agent systems under directed networks with sam- pling delay are addressed in this paper. When the sampling delay is more than a sampling period, new protocols based on sampled-data control are proposed so that each agent can track the time-varying reference state of the virtual leader. By using the delay decomposition approach, the augmented matrix method, and the frequency domain analysis, necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained, which guarantee that the bounded consensus tracking is realized. Furthermore, some numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

Consensus in noisy environments with switching topology and time-varying delays

In this paper, the leader-following consensus problem of noise perturbed multi-agent systems with time-varying delays is investigated. We analyze two different cases of coupling topologies: fixed topology and switching topology. Based on the Lyapunov functional and combining with the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach, it is analytically proved that the consensus could be achieved almost surely with the perturbation of noise and communication time delays. Furthermore, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results. The simulation results show that the speed of convergence in environments with relatively strong noise intensity is lower than that in environments with relatively weak noise intensity.     

Leader-following consensus of discrete-time fractional-order multi-agent systems

Leader-following consensus of fractional order multi-agent systems is investigated. The agents are considered as discrete-time fractional order integrators or fractional order double-integrators. Moreover, the interaction between the agents is described with an undirected communication graph with a fixed topology. It is shown that the leader-following consensus problem for the considered agents could be converted to the asymptotic stability analysis of a discrete-time fractional order system. Based on this idea, sufficient conditions to reach the leader-following consensus in terms of the controller parameters are extracted. This leads to an appropriate region in the controller parameters space. Numerical simulations are provided to show the performance of the proposed leader-following consensus approach.