Event-triggered control strategy based on absolute velocity and relative position measurements for second-order nonlinear multi-agent systems under DoS attacks

Abstract

Consensus control in multi-agent systems (MASs) has wide-ranging applications in various domains. As the scope of applications continues to expand, ensuring the secure control of these systems to counter a diverse range of network attacks becomes highly necessary. Among these threats, Denial of Service (DoS) attacks have emerged as a major network security threat, capable of rendering targeted agents or networks unable to provide normal services. This paper presents an effective control protocol aiming to achieve leader-following consensus in a second-order MAS with event-triggered control mechanism and nonlinear dynamics under DoS attacks. The protocol utilizes absolute velocity and relative position measurements. The maximum attack frequency and duration of the DoS attacks have been obtained. Furthermore, the possibility of Zeno behavior is eliminated. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that, even under DoS attacks, consensus can be maintained among the leaders and followers within the MASs. In conclusion, the effectiveness of the proposed distributed security control protocol is validated through a case study involving a multi-vehicle cooperative system with unmanned cars.