Mean-square output consensus for heterogeneous multi-agent systems over nonidentical packet loss channels

Abstract

In this paper, we study the cooperative output consensus problem of discrete-time heterogeneous multi-agent systems over nonidentical channel fading networks. Different from the traditional output consensus problem, the communication channels among agents are perturbed by stochastic multiplicative noises, which can also describe the packet loss phenomenon. The perturbed channels can result in a significant challenge for consensus analysis since their effect cannot be separated linearly from the communication topology. Based on the distributed feedforward control method, a novel distributed dynamic output feedback controller is developed to ensure output synchronization for each agent in the mean-square sense. To facilitate the consensus analysis, we utilize the relationship between the graph Laplacian matrix and the incidence matrix and matrix transformation technique, and find sufficient solvability conditions relying on each agent’s dynamics, the maximum eigenvalue of communication graph and the packet loss probability for the scenarios of undirected graph and directed graph, respectively. Finally, simulation results are given to verify the theoretical analysis.