Distributed group consensus for heterogeneous multi-agent systems

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the group consensus problems of heterogeneous multi-agent systems with fixed and switching topologies are investigated. First, a class of distributed group consensus protocol is proposed for achieving the group consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems by using the neighbours’ information. Then, some corresponding sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the achievement of group consensus. Rigorous proofs are given by using graph theory, matrix theory and Lyapunov theory. Finally, numerical simulations are also given to verify the theoretical analysis.

Double adaptive event-triggered strategy for leader-following group consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems in cooperative–competitive networks

This paper considers the consensus control problem of heterogeneous linear multiagent systems. A distributed proportional-integral (PI) protocol is presented to ensure consensus of heterogeneous linear multiagent systems with directed communication graphs. Sufficient conditions for the choice of control parameters are derived. For the case that the agents are subject to the external time-varying but bounded disturbances, the proposed distributed PI protocol can assure uniformly ultimate boundedness of the consensus error. The effectiveness of the results is illustrated both theoretically and numerically.

An Internal Model Principle for Consensus in Heterogeneous Linear Multi-Agent Systems

This paper studied the group consensus problem in heterogeneous multi-agent systems (HMASs) subject to input delays, denial of service (DoS) attacks, and external disturbances. The agents interact within a cooperative-competitive network, where first- and second-order dynamics coexist. To address the challenges introduced by disruptions in communication and system heterogeneity, an intermittent control protocol was designed. This protocol operates based on a time-varying binary signal that reflects the availability of communication. Control actions are suspended during DoS intervals and resume when communication is restored. The proposed method incorporates virtual velocity estimation to handle mixed-order agents and employs frequency-domain analysis, specifically the Nyquist stability criterion, to derive algebraic conditions that ensure consensus. These conditions relate the maximum allowable delay to system topology, attack patterns, and disturbance levels. Numerical simulations demonstrate that consensus can be achieved under both directed and undirected network structures, even in the presence of constrained DoS disruptions and bounded disturbances.

This paper addresses the problem of bipartite output consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems over signed graphs. A dynamical neighbor-based consensus protocol is proposed, which consists of the solution pair of the regulation equation and a homogenous compensator. The controller parameters can be obtained by Lyapunov stability theory and matrix theory. To make the agents achieve bipartite output consensus without using any global information, a fully distributed adaptive protocol is further designed.

The group consensus problems of heterogeneous multiagent networks with input time delays are investigated in this paper. In this complex networks, the agents' dynamics are modeled by the first-order and the second-order multiagent systems, where a novel dynamic group consensus protocol is designed through the competitive relationship among the agents. By using matrix theory and the frequency-domain method, some algebraic criteria are theoretically established for reaching a group consensus in the following two cases: 1) with the identical and 2) different input time delays. Meanwhile, the conservative assumptions existed in the relevant literatures are absolutely relaxed, i.e., the in-degree balance and the geometric multiplicity of zero eigenvalue of Laplacian matrix are at least two. Finally, the effectiveness of our results is illustrated by numerical examples.

In this article, the cluster consensus of heterogeneous multiagent systems is investigated via dynamic event-triggered and pining control strategies. Comprehensively considering the cooperative and competitive interactions among the agents, a novel cluster consensus control protocol is designed, and a class of fully distributed dynamic event-triggered laws that do not depend on the global information is proposed. Being distinct from the traditional static threshold value, a time-varying threshold value is introduced which can effectively reduce the trigger time. Meanwhile, some sufficient conditions are obtained theoretically by using Lyapunov stability theory and the pinning control strategy is addressed as well. Furthermore, it has also been shown that each agent can exclude Zeno behavior. Finally, two simulated examples are given to illustrate the correctness and validity of the proposed methods and our findings.

Distributed output consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent systems via an output regulation 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.

This article investigates the group consensus problem for heterogeneous multiagent systems with time delays via pinning control. Under the designed control protocol, agents in the system could be grouped arbitrarily, and agents in the same subgroup could converge to a constraint position. Meanwhile, the kinetics of agents in the same subgroup could be same or different. Both the fixed and switching topologies are considered. Based on the frequency domain method and stability theory, sufficient conditions for the system achieve group consensus are derived. Finally, several numerical examples are presented to verify the performance of the control protocol.

In this paper, leader-following consensus of the discrete-time heterogenous multi-agent system with bounded communication delays is studied. The heterogeneous multi-agent system is composed of first-order and second-order integrator agents. By applying the graph theory and the algebra theory, sufficient consensus criteria are obtained to guarantee that each agent can track the leader. Despite there exist bounded time delays among agents, consensus can also be realised under fixed and switching topologies. Event-triggered control laws are designed to reduce the frequency of individual actuation updating. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.

This paper focuses on the problem of distributed fault detection and leader-following output consensus for heterogeneous multiagent systems subject to deception attacks. During the information exchange and dissemination, a malicious attacker can make full use of specialized computer technology and launch stochastic deception attacks against some vulnerable agents over the network. The attack signals in actual operation tend to be energy-constrained, and Bernoulli distribution can be used to describe the random features. Taking the attack information into account, the distributed fault detection observer and the dynamic consensus compensator are designed in two separate steps. In order to reduce unnecessary information transmission, a dynamic event-triggered mechanism with output-dependent threshold is introduced to the adjustment of consensus protocol. According to Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques, sufficient conditions are derived for developing the model gains of the observer and the compensator. Finally, a simulation example of RLC circuit systems is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results.

This article investigates the leader-following secure output consensus (LFSOC) problem of the heterogeneous multiagent systems (MASs) under the hybrid cyber-attacks. A novel hybrid cyber-attack model consisting of aperiodic additive deception (AAD) attacks and aperiodic denial of service (ADoS) attacks is proposed for characterizing cyber-attacks in a real network, where the aperiodicity is reflected in the fact that the duration of each cyber-attack can be different. First, a compensator is introduced for each agent to estimate the leader's state. Second, two sampling mechanisms consisting of a multirate sampling (MRS) mechanism and a periodic sampling mechanism are employed for heterogeneous MASs. The MRS mechanism is used to obtain real-time sampled data on the different physical variables of each agent. The periodic sampling mechanism is applied to sample the agents' compensators and the sampled data are broadcast to their neighbors immediately through a network. By selecting an appropriate sampling period (i.e., a communication period of the compensators), the robustness of heterogeneous MASs against hybrid cyber-attacks can be enhanced. Then, the appropriate communication period is selected for the compensators in different network environments by taking into consideration the cyber-attack parameters. Under these two sampling mechanisms, a sync controller is developed to achieve the LFSOC of heterogeneous MASs. Finally, an example is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

This paper studies the group consensus of discrete-time mixed-order multi-agent systems with fixed and directed interactive topology. First, group consensus protocols are designed for all agents to investigate the group consensus of mixed-order multi-agent systems without time delays. Under some assumptions on the interactive topology, sufficient conditions for group consensus are obtained based on matrix theory and graph theory, which are dependent on the sampling period and the control gains. Then, group consensus protocols are proposed for a case where communication delays exist. Sufficient conditions are also established for group consensus using Nyquist stability criterion. Finally, several simulation examples are given to verify the validity of the theoretical results.