Distributed Event-Based Control of Hierarchical Leader-Follower Networks with Time-Varying Layer-To-Layer Delays

Abstract

Compared with the traditional multi-agent models, the hierarchical leader–follower network (HLFN) can describe some real-world multi-agent systems more precisely due to its layered properties. The distributed event-based consensus control problem of HLFNs with layer-to-layer delays, namely, communication delays among agents of different layers, is presented in this essay. In order to solve the aforementioned problem, several innovative hierarchical event-based control (HEC) algorithms are proposed. The sufficient conditions on the control parameters and event-triggered mechanism were derived to undertake the reliability of the closed-loop dynamics. Moreover, it is shown that the zeno-behaviors of the presented HEC algorithms can be excluded. Finally, there are some numerical examples that verify the availability of the results.

Keywords

• event-based consensus
• hierarchical leader–follower network
• hierarchical event-based control
• layer-to-layer delays