A clustered neighbourhood consensus algorithm for a generic agent interaction protocol

Abstract

This paper significantly contributes a consensus algorithm to enhance the efficiency of existing generic interaction protocol for multiagent systems (GIPMAS). The proposed algorithm is marriage of neighbourhood algorithm and discrete time consensus protocol and the neighbourhood algorithm focuses on providing more weight to communication links/edges joining two clusters as compared to links joining two agents in a cluster, which increases rate of convergence of information. Thus, in clustered network of agents, cluster head and executive cluster head would be responsible for deriving consensus in the received information. Simulation reflects that proposed mechanism improves time of convergence of information. However, slight increase in task execution is also observed due to trade-off between quality of output and complexity of mechanism.