Error-transformation-based consensus algorithms of multi-agent systems: connectivity-preserving approach

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates distributed connectivity-preserving consensus problems of networked multi-agent systems with limited communication ranges. Compared with existing literature, a main contribution of this paper is to present a new nonlinear transformation approach of consensus errors for preserving the initial interaction patterns of multi-agent systems. Both the consensus and the connectivity preservation can be achieved by using one transformed error function. Based on the proposed nonlinear error transformation, we derive distributed connectivity-preserving consensus algorithms for single-integrator dynamics, double-integrator dynamics and second-order nonlinear systems. The asymptotic stability of consensus errors and the connectivity preservation among agents are established through Lyapunov stability analysis.

KEYWORDS:

• Error transformation
• connectivity-preserving consensus
• limited communication ranges

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the MSIT (Ministry of Science and ICT), Korea, under the ITRC (Information Technology Research Center) support program [grant number IITP-2017-2014-0-00636] supervised by the IITP (Institute for Information & communications Technology Promotion); Human Resources Development [grant number 20174030201810] of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) grant funded by the Korea government Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education [grant number NRF-2016R1D1A1B03931312].

Notes on contributors

Sung Jin Yoo

Sung Jin Yoo received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea, in 2003, 2005, and 2009 respectively. He has been a Post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, from 2009 to 2010. Since 2011, he has been with the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea, where he is currently an Associate Professor. His research interests include nonlinear adaptive control, decentralized control, distributed control, fault tolerant control, and neural networks theories, and their applications to robotic, flight, nonlinear time-delay systems, large-scale systems, and multi-agent systems.