Consensus of uncertain multi-agent systems with input delay and disturbances.

Area of Science:

• Control Engineering
• Systems Science
• Robotics

Background:

• Multi-agent systems often face external disturbances and time delays, hindering robust consensus.
• Achieving reliable coordination in uncertain environments is crucial for complex systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel robust consensus control strategy for multi-agent systems subjected to external disturbances and time delays.
• To enhance the disturbance rejection capabilities and mitigate the effects of time delays in control systems.

Main Methods:

• A feedback controller integrating disturbance estimation (equivalent-input-disturbance) and a Smith predictor scheme was developed.
• Lyapunov theory, matrix inequality techniques, and Kronecker product properties were employed to design the robust controller.
• The Smith predictor shifts time delays outside the feedback loop to reduce their impact.

Main Results:

• The proposed control scheme effectively ensures robust consensus in uncertain multi-agent systems despite external disturbances.
• Simulation results from two numerical examples validate the improved performance and stability of the designed controller.
• The controller demonstrates enhanced disturbance rejection and effective management of time delays.

Conclusions:

• The novel consensus control strategy provides a robust solution for coordinating multi-agent systems in challenging environments.
• The integration of disturbance rejection and Smith predictor techniques offers a promising approach for future control system designs.
• The findings contribute to the advancement of reliable and stable coordination in distributed systems.