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This article studies a distributed average tracking (DAT) problem, in which a collection of agents work collaboratively, subject to local communication, to track the average of a set of reference signals, each of which is available to a single agent. Our primary objective is to seek a design methodology for DAT under possibly weight-unbalanced directed networks—the most general and thus most challenging case from the network topology perspective, which has few results in the literature. For this purpose, we propose a distributed algorithm based on a chain of two integrators that are coupled with a distributed estimator. It is found that the convergence depends on not only the network topology but also the deviations among the reference signal accelerations. Another primary interest of this article stems from the dynamics perspective—a point perceived as a main source of control design difficulty for multiagent systems. Indeed, we devise a nonlinear algorithm that is capable of achieving DAT under weight-unbalanced directed networks for agents subject to high-order integrator dynamics. The results show that the convergence to the vicinity of the average of the reference signals is guaranteed as long as the signals’ states and control inputs are all bounded. Both algorithms are robust to initialization errors, i.e., DAT is insured even if the agents are not correctly initialized, enabling the potential applications in a wider spectrum of application domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to distributed continuous-time and discrete-time optimization problems with nonuniform convex constraint sets and nonuniform stepsizes for general differentiable convex objective functions. The communication graphs are not required to be strongly connected at any time, the gradients of the local objective functions are not required to be bounded when their independent variables tend to infinity, and the constraint sets are not required to be bounded. For continuous-time multiagent systems, a distributed continuous algorithm is first introduced where the stepsizes and the convex constraint sets are both nonuniform. It is shown that all agents reach a consensus while minimizing the team objective function even when the constraint sets are unbounded. After that, the obtained results are extended to discrete-time multiagent systems and then the case where each agent remains in a corresponding convex constraint set is studied. To ensure all agents to remain in a bounded region, a switching mechanism is introduced in the algorithms. It is shown that the distributed optimization problems can be solved, even though the discretization of the algorithms might deviate the convergence of the agents from the minimum of the objective functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses distributed average tracking of physical second-order agents with heterogeneous unknown nonlinear dynamics, where there is no constraint on input signals and there is no need for correct initialization. The unknown nonlinear terms in agents’ dynamics are heterogeneous, satisfying a Lipschitz-like condition that will be defined later and is more general than the Lipschitz condition. In the proposed algorithm, a control input and a filter are designed for each agent. Each agent's filter has two outputs and the idea is that the first output estimates the average of the input signals, and the second output estimates the average of the input velocities asymptotically. In parallel, each agent's position and velocity are driven to track, respectively, the first and the second outputs. Having an unknown term in agents’ dynamics necessitates designing the filters for agents. Since the nonlinear terms in agents’ dynamics can be unbounded and the input signals are arbitrary, novel time-varying gains are employed in agents’ filters and control inputs to overcome these unboundedness effects. Finally, the results are improved to achieve the distributed average tracking for a group of double-integrator agents, where there is no constraint on input signals and the filter is not required anymore. Numerical simulations are also presented to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a time-varying distributed convex optimization problem is studied for continuous-time multi-agent systems. The objective is to minimize the sum of local time-varying cost functions, each of which is known to only an individual agent, through local interaction. Here, the optimal point is time varying and creates an optimal trajectory. Control algorithms are designed for the cases of single-integrator and double-integrator dynamics. In both cases, a centralized approach is first introduced to solve the optimization problem. Then, this problem is solved in a distributed manner and a discontinuous algorithm based on the signum function is proposed in each case. In the case of single-integrator (respectively, double-integrator) dynamics, each agent relies only on its own position and the relative positions (respectively, positions and velocities) between itself and its neighbors. A gain adaption scheme is introduced in both algorithms to eliminate certain global information requirement. To relax the restricted assumption imposed on feasible cost functions, an estimator based algorithm using the signum function is proposed, where each agent uses dynamic average tracking as a tool to estimate the centralized control input. As a tradeoff, the estimator-based algorithm necessitates communication between neighbors. Then, in the case of double-integrator dynamics, the proposed algorithms are further extended. Two continuous algorithms based on, respectively, a time-varying and a fixed boundary layer are proposed as continuous approximations of the signum function. To account for interagent collision for physical agents, a distributed convex optimization problem with swarm tracking behavior is introduced for both single-integrator and double-integrator dynamics. It is shown that the center of the agents tracks the optimal trajectory, the connectivity of the agents is maintained, and interagent collision is avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the consensus problem for second-order multi-agent systems with heterogeneous unknown inertias and control gains under a general directed graph. Unlike the existing consensus algorithms for second-order multi-agent systems in which all agents are assumed to have common unit inertias or share common control gains, we allow the inertias and the control gains to be heterogeneous and time-varying for each agent. We propose fully distributed consensus algorithms over a general directed graph when there exist, respectively, absolute velocity damping and relative velocity damping. Novel integral-type Lyapunov functions are proposed to study the consensus convergence. Moreover, the adaptive $\sigma$- modification schemes for the gain adaptation are proposed, which renders smaller control gains and thus requires smaller amplitude on the control input without sacrificing consensus convergence. Furthermore, we show that one proposed algorithm also works for consensus of agents with intrinsic Lipschitz nonlinear dynamics. The control gains are varying and updated by distributed adaptive laws. As a result, the proposed algorithms require no global information and thus can be implemented in a fully distributed manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This technical note introduces a non-quadratic function that is defined in terms of multiple Laplacian quadratics, called the function of composite Laplacian quadratics. The function is mainly used for control synthesis and analysis of multi-agent systems. Some important properties of the function are studied. In particular, the one-level-set dissipation property is established, and the gradient of the function is derived. The function is further applied to solve the consensus problem of linear differential inclusions (LDIs). Finally, a numerical example is given to verify the validity of the derived results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This technical note studies finite-time consensus problem for a team of networked nonlinear agents with unknown Lipschitz terms under communication constraints, where each agent has a limited sensing range. Because the induced interaction graph is typically state-dependent and dynamic, we propose a distributed nonlinear consensus algorithm that is capable of preserving the initial interaction patterns. By using tools from nonsmooth analysis, sufficient conditions are obtained such that finite-time consensus can be reached. An upper bound of the convergence time is derived via a two-step analysis. The validity of the theoretical result is shown by one simulation example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stochastic consensus problem of linear multi-input multi-output (MIMO) multi-agent systems (MASs) with communication noises and Markovian switching topologies is studied in this technical note. The agent's full state is first estimated by the state observer, and then the estimated state is exchanged with neighbor agents through a noisy communication environment. The communication topology is randomly switching and the switching law is described by a continuous-time Markovian chain. Then a consensus protocol is proposed for this MAS, and some sufficient conditions are obtained for ensuring the mean square and almost sure consensus. In addition, if the communication topology is fixed, some necessary and sufficient conditions for the mean square consensus can be obtained according to whether or not each agent in the system has parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This technical note addresses the distributed consensus protocol design problem for multi-agent systems with general linear dynamics and directed communication graphs. Existing works usually design consensus protocols using the smallest real part of the nonzero eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix associated with the communication graph, which however is global information. In this technical note, based on only the agent dynamics and the relative states of neighboring agents, a distributed adaptive consensus protocol is designed to achieve leader-follower consensus in the presence of a leader with a zero input for any communication graph containing a directed spanning tree with the leader as the root node. The proposed adaptive protocol is independent of any global information of the communication graph and thereby is fully distributed. Extensions to the case with multiple leaders are further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This technical brief considers the distributed consensus problems for multi-agent systems with general linear and Lipschitz nonlinear dynamics. Distributed relative-state consensus protocols with an adaptive law for adjusting the coupling weights between neighboring agents are designed for both the linear and nonlinear cases, under which consensus is reached for all undirected connected communication graphs. Extensions to the case with a leader-follower communication graph are further studied. In contrast to the existing results in the literature, the adaptive consensus protocols here can be implemented by each agent in a fully distributed fashion without using any global information. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This technical note considers the distributed tracking control problem of multiagent systems with general linear dynamics and a leader whose control input is nonzero and not available to any follower. Based on the relative states of neighboring agents, two distributed discontinuous controllers with, respectively, static and adaptive coupling gains, are designed for each follower to ensure that the states of the followers converge to the state of the leader, if the interaction graph among the followers is undirected, the leader has directed paths to all followers, and the leader's control input is bounded. A sufficient condition for the existence of the distributed controllers is that each agent is stabilizable. Simulation examples are given to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]