Finite-Time Heterogeneous Cyclic Pursuit With Application to Cooperative Target Interception

Area of Science:

• Control Theory
• Robotics
• Networked Systems

Background:

• Achieving consensus in multi-agent systems is crucial for coordinated behaviors.
• Heterogeneous agents with non-identical gains pose challenges to traditional consensus algorithms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a finite-time heterogeneous cyclic pursuit scheme for integrator agents.
• To analyze consensus conditions with non-identical and potentially negative gains.
• To provide algorithms for computing consensus value and time.

Main Methods:

• Finite-time control theory.
• Analysis of consensus dynamics under cyclic graph topologies.
• Development of algorithms for consensus parameter calculation.

Main Results:

• Consensus is achieved in finite time, even with non-identical positive gains or a single negative gain within bounds.
• Algorithms are presented for calculating consensus value, time, and enabling gains.
• The scheme is validated for cooperative collision-free interception of targets.

Conclusions:

• The proposed finite-time consensus scheme is robust to heterogeneous agent dynamics.
• The developed algorithms facilitate practical implementation for coordinated tasks.
• Effective application in cooperative interception demonstrates the scheme's utility.