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This work investigates the tracking consensus problem of multiagent systems over directed networks, where the control gains follow certain volatile patterns. Some event-based consensus protocols are formulated so as to reduce the redundant execution of control. By using an extended differential inequality with a time-dependent coefficient, criteria for tracking consensus under time- and state-dependent triggering conditions are constructed, respectively. It is proved that the time average of the control gain, together with the agent dynamics, network topology, and triggering conditions, governs the consensus despite the fluctuation of control gain. The derived theorem can be utilized to ensure consensus with intermittent strategies aiming to lessen the burden in communications, including aperiodic on–off control with periodic perturbation and pulse-modulated on–off control. Unlike existing works, the requirement of a positive lower bound of control ratios is removed and, thus, a wide range of control gain patterns is possible, signifying higher flexibility in intermittent policy design. Finally, numerical examples are provided to further illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the consensus problem of networked nonlinear agents with multiple self-delays and time-varying coupling. We first establish a generalized Halanay’s inequality based on comparison theorem, and then convert the consensus problem into a stability problem of retarded differential equation with time-varying coefficients, from which sufficient conditions for consensus are derived. Our results manifest that the time-average of coupling strength over intervals of certain length, together with the underlying topology and the values of self-delays, plays a crucial role in guaranteeing consensus. Based on the theoretical analysis, an estimation of the largest admissible delay is also available. This paper provides a general framework for achieving consensus in agents with time-varying coupling, such as coupling with external perturbations, intermittent control in on–off fashion, or pulse-modulated coupling strength, etc. Furthermore, useful criteria are given for various applications which have also been verified with numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the second-order leader-following consensus of coupled nonlinear agents with intermittent control is investigated. A subset of followers is pinned while it is assumed that the underlying digraph contains a directed spanning tree with the leader node as the root. By using multiple Lyapunov functions method and algebraic graph theory, it is proved that second-order consensus is guaranteed by choosing the control and rest durations appropriately in each time interval. This result provides high flexibility in control gain design, allowing multiple switching with different gains in arbitrarily-chosen time intervals. As a result, it not only encompasses many existing intermittent control schemes but can also manage practical situations, such as recovery from occasional control failures. Numerical simulations are also given to demonstrate our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]