Finite-time control of multiagent networks as systems with time transformation and separation principle

Abstract

In this paper, we study finite-time control of multiagent networks as systems, where they involve floating agents that exchange local information and driver agents that not only exchange local information but also take input and output roles. For this class of multiagent networks, control algorithms are applied to the driver agents based on the measurements collected from them for the purpose of influencing the overall behavior of the resulting system. Specifically, we consider time-critical applications in the control of multiagent networks as systems and propose a finite-time control approach predicated on a recent time transformation method. The proposed method guarantees execution of control algorithms over a prescribed time interval [0,T) with T being a user-defined convergence time based on analysis performed over a stretched, infinite-time interval [0,∞). We analytically show that the resulting system achieves user-defined finite-time convergence regardless of the initial conditions of agents, where we also discuss the separation principle obtained with the proposed method. The presented theoretical contributions are not only illustrated by numerical examples but also experimentally validated using ground mobile robots.