Event-triggered distributed robust optimal control of nonholonomic mobile agents with obstacle avoidance formation, input constraints and external disturbances

Abstract

This paper proposes an event-triggered distributed robust optimal control algorithm for nonholonomic mobile agents (NMA) systems with collision avoidance, asymmetrically saturated inputs and external disturbances. By employing the limit cycle principle and developing the adaptive dynamic programming, zero-sum game theory, and an event-triggering mechanism, the algorithm can optimize an H∞ cost function and relax both the perfect velocity tracking assumption and the persistent excitation condition. First, the graph theory is used to establish the communication configuration, followed by the introduction of the distributed kinematic control for collision avoidance. Second, as a perfect velocity tracking assumption cannot be guaranteed under dynamics changes, input constraints and external disturbances, the distributed optimal robust control algorithm is designed. Third, by developing a new event-triggering mechanism, the burden of computational complexity and communications is reduced. The closed-loop stability and the zeno-behavior exclusion are proven by the Lyapunov theory. Finally, a numerical simulation is conducted with comparison to the sampling period–based control algorithm to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.