In many multi-agent systems of practical interest, such as traffic networks or crowd evacuation, control actions cannot be exerted on all agents. Instead, controllable leaders must indirectly steer uncontrolled followers through local interactions. Existing results address either leader-follower density control of simple, unperturbed multi-agent systems or robust density control of a single directly actuated population, but not their combination. We bridge this gap by deriving a coupled continuum description for leaders and followers subject to unknown bounded perturbations, and designing a macroscopic feedback law that guarantees global asymptotic convergence of the followers' density to a desired distribution. The coupled stability of the leader-follower system is analyzed via singular perturbation theory, and an explicit lower bound on the leader-to-follower mass ratio required for feasibility is derived. Numerical simulations on heterogeneous biased random walkers validate our theoretical findings.
The focus of this paper is directed towards optimal control of multi-agent systems consisting of one leader and a number of followers in the presence of noise. The dynamics of every agent is assumed to be linear, and the performance index is a quadratic function of the states and actions of the leader and followers. The leader and followers are coupled in both dynamics and cost. The state of the leader and the average of the states of all followers (called mean-field) are common information and known to all agents; however, the local state of the followers are private information and unknown t…
This paper deals with data-driven output synchronization for heterogeneous leader-follower linear multi-agent systems. Given a multi-agent system that consists of one autonomous leader and a number of heterogeneous followers with external disturbances, we provide necessary and sufficient data-based conditions for output synchronization. We also provide a design method for obtaining such output synchronizing protocols directly from data. The results are then extended to the special case that the followers are disturbance-free. Finally, a simulation example is provided to illustrate our results.
This technical note presents a leader-follower scheme for network aggregative games. The followers and leader are selfish cost minimizing agents. The cost function of each follower is affected by strategy of leader and aggregated strategies of its neighbors through a communication graph. The leader infinitely often wakes up and receives the aggregated strategy of the followers, updates its decision value and broadcasts it to all the followers. Then, the followers apply the updated strategy of the leader into their cost functions. The establishment of information exchange between each neighbori…
In this letter, we study the leader-synchronization problem for a class of partial differential equations with boundary control and in-domain coupling. We describe the problem in an abstract formulation and we specialize it to a network of parabolic partial differential equations. We consider a setting in which a subset of the followers is connected to the leader through a boundary control, while interconnections among the followers are enforced by distributed in-domain couplings. Sufficient conditions in the form of matrix inequalities for the selection of the control parameters enforcing exp…
The problem of consensus in the presence of adversarially behaving agents has been studied extensively in the literature. The proposed algorithms typically guarantee that the consensus value lies within the convex hull of initial normal agents' states. In leader-follower consensus problems however, the objective for normally behaving agents is to track a time-varying reference state that may take on values outside of this convex hull. In this paper we present a method for agents with discrete-time dynamics to resiliently track a set of leaders' common time-varying reference state despite a bou…
A leader-follower framework is proposed for multi-robot navigation of large scale teams where the leader agents corral the follower agents. A group of leaders is modeled as a 2D deformable object where discrete masses (i.e., leader robots) are interconnected by springs and dampers. A time-varying domain is defined by the positions of leaders while the external forces induce deformations of the domain from its nominal configuration. The team of followers is performing coverage over the time-varying domain by employing a perspective transformation that maps between the nominal and deformed confi…
The leader-follower formation control analysis for multiple quad-rotor systems is investigated in this paper. To achieve predefined formation in the three-dimensional air space ($x,y$ and $z$), a novel local tracking control law and a distributed observer are obtained. The local tracking control law starts with finding a bounded continuous yet greater-than-zero control in $z$, based on which following a feedback linearization controls derived for errors associated with $x$ and $y$. The distributed observer achieves position coordination among followers, though there are only partial followers …
This paper presents control strategies based on time-varying convergent higher order control barrier functions for a class of leader-follower multi-agent systems under signal temporal logic (STL) tasks. Each agent is assigned a local STL task which may be dependent on the behavior of agents involved in other tasks. The leader has knowledge on the associated tasks and controls the performance of the subgroup involved agents. Robust solutions for the task satisfaction, based on the leader's accessibility to the follower agents' states are suggested. Our approach finds solutions to guarantee the …
This paper develops a distributed solution to the fully-heterogeneous containment control problem (CCP), for which not only the followers' dynamics but also the leaders' dynamics are non-identical. A novel formulation of the fully-heterogeneous CCP is first presented in which each follower constructs its virtual exo-system. To build these virtual exo-systems by followers, a novel distributed algorithm is developed to calculate the so-called normalized level of influences (NLIs) of all leaders on each follower and a novel adaptive distributed observer is designed to estimate the dynamics and st…
In this paper, we consider the problem of containment control of multi-agent systems with multiple stationary leaders, interacting over a directed network. While, containment control refers to just ensuring that the follower agents reach the convex hull of the leaders states, we focus on the problem where the followers achieve a consensus to the average values of the leaders states. We propose an algorithm that can be implemented in a distributed manner to achieve the above consensus among followers. Next we optimize the convergence rate of the followers to the average consensus by proper choi…
Several algorithms in prior literature have been proposed which guarantee consensus of normally behaving agents in a network that may contain adversarially behaving agents. These algorithms guarantee that the consensus value lies within the convex hull of initial normal agents' states, with the exact consensus value possibly being unknown. In leader-follower consensus problems however, the objective is for normally behaving agents to track a reference state that may take on values outside of this convex hull. In this paper we present methods for agents in time-varying graphs with discrete-time…
In this paper, we propose a leader-follower hierarchical strategy for two robots collaboratively transporting an object in a partially known environment with obstacles. Both robots sense the local surrounding environment and react to obstacles in their proximity. We consider no explicit communication, so the local environment information and the control actions are not shared between the robots. At any given time step, the leader solves a model predictive control (MPC) problem with its known set of obstacles and plans a feasible trajectory to complete the task. The follower estimates the input…
Limited information availability represents a fundamental challenge for control of multi-agent systems, since an agent often lacks sensing capabilities to measure certain states of its own and can exchange data only with its neighbors. The challenge becomes even greater when agents are governed by high-order dynamics. The present work is motivated to conduct control design for linear and nonlinear high-order leader-follower multi-agent systems in a context where only the first state of an agent is measured. To address this open challenge, we develop novel distributed observers to enable follow…
Active disturbance rejection control for unmanned tracked vehicles in leader-follower scenarios: discrete-time implementation and field test validation
Leader-Follower Formation Control with Prescribed Convergence Rates under Bearing Persistence of Excitation
I3S, CNRS, Université Côte d’Azur（法国蔚蓝海岸大学）；Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, the University of Manchester（曼彻斯特大学）；Département d’informatique et d’ingénierie, Université du Québec en Outaouis（渥太华谷大学）；Department of Electrical Engineering, Lakehead University（湖首大学）；Institut Universitaire de France (IUF)（法国高等研究院）
In this paper, we consider a discrete-time Stackelberg mean field game with a leader and an infinite number of followers. The leader and the followers each observe types privately that evolve as conditionally independent controlled Markov processes. The leader commits to a dynamic policy and the followers best respond to that policy and each other. Knowing that the followers would play a mean field game based on her policy, the leader chooses a policy that maximizes her reward. We refer to the resulting outcome as a Stackelberg mean field equilibrium (SMFE). In this paper, we provide a master …
In this paper, a time-varying leader-follower formation control of nonholonomic mobile robots based on a trajectory tracking control strategy is considered. In the time-varying formation, the relative bearing and distance of each follower are variable parameters, and therefore, the followers can carry out various and complex behaviour even without changing the linear and angular velocities of the leader robot. After proposing the kinematic model of the time-varying leader-follower formation, the backstepping control method is exploited to keep the structure of the defined formation. The global…
Missouri University of Science and Technology（密苏里科技大学）
Mobile and slow moving operations, such as striping, sweeping, bridge flushing and pothole patching, are critical for efficient and safe operation of the highway transportation system. A successfully implemented leader follower autonomous truck mounted attenuators system will eliminate all injuries to DOT employees in follow truck provided appropriate Statutory authority. The leader follower system design imposes more requirements to the lead truck drivers in order to ensure a safe and smooth system operation. The driver is now required to make driving decisions not only from the lead truck's …
The adaptive distributed observer approach has been an effective tool for synthesizing a distributed control law for solving various control problems of leader-follower multiagent systems. However, the existing adaptive distributed observer needs to make use of the full state of the leader system. This assumption not only precludes many practical applications in which only the output of the leader system is available, but also leads to a high dimension observer. In this communique, we propose an adaptive distributed output observer which only makes use of the output of the leader system, and i…
A network of agents, modeled by a class of wave PDEs, is under investigation. One agent in the network plays the role of a leader, and all the remaining "follower" agents are required to asymptotically track the state of the leader. Only boundary sensing of the agent's state is assumed, and each agent is controlled through the boundary by Neumann-type actuation. A linear interaction protocol is proposed and analyzed by means of a Lyapunov-based approach. A simple set of tuning rules, guaranteeing the exponential achievement of synchronization, is obtained. In addition, an exponential ISS relat…
Autonomous and non-autonomous fixed-time leader-follower consensus for second-order multi-agent systems
CINVESTAV Unidad Guadalajara（墨西哥科学和技术研究中心瓜达拉哈拉分校）；Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, University of Zaragoza（萨拉戈萨大学计算机科学与系统工程系）；Intel Tecnología de México, Intel Labs, Multi agent autonomous systems lab（英特尔墨西哥技术公司，英特尔实验室，多智能体自主系统实验室）；Tecnológico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias（蒙特雷理工学院工程与科学学院）；LAMIH, UMR CNRS 8201, INSA, Polytechnic University of Hauts de France（法国上法兰西理工大学国家科学研究中心联合研究实验室8201 LAMIH）；Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas (CIMAT)（数学研究中心）
This paper addresses the problem of bearing leader-follower formation control in three-dimensional space by exploring the persistence of excitation (PE) of the desired formation. Using only bearing and relative velocity measurements, distributed control laws are derived for a group of agents with double-integrator dynamics. The key contribution is that the exponential stabilization of the actual formation to the desired one in terms of both shape and scale is guaranteed as long as the PE conditions on the desired formation are satisfied. The approach generalizes stability results provided in p…
In this paper, we consider a discrete-time Stackelberg mean field game with a finite number of leaders, a finite number of major followers and an infinite number of minor followers. The leaders and the followers each observe types privately that evolve as conditionally independent controlled Markov processes. The leaders are of "Stackelberg" kind which means they commit to a dynamic policy. We consider two types of followers: major and minor, each with a private type. All the followers best respond to the policies of the Stackelberg leaders and each other. Knowing that the followers would play…
Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, University of Texas, Austin（得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校奥登计算工程与科学研究所）；University of Florida（佛罗里达大学）
This paper develops a controller synthesis approach for a multi-agent system (MAS) with intermittent communication. We adopt a leader-follower scheme, where a mobile leader with absolute position sensors switches among a set of followers without absolute position sensors to provide each follower with intermittent state information.We model the MAS as a switched system. The followers are to asymptotically reach a predetermined consensus state. To guarantee the stability of the switched system and the consensus of the followers, we derive maximum and minimal dwell-time conditions to constrain th…
We consider a multi-agent episodic MDP setup where an agent (leader) takes action at each step of the episode followed by another agent (follower). The state evolution and rewards depend on the joint action pair of the leader and the follower. Such type of interactions can find applications in many domains such as smart grids, mechanism design, security, and policymaking. We are interested in how to learn policies for both the players with provable performance guarantee under a bandit feedback setting. We focus on a setup where both the leader and followers are {\em non-myopic}, i.e., they bot…
In this paper, a set-membership filtering-based leader-follower synchronization protocol for discrete-time linear multi-agent systems is proposed wherein the aim is to make the agents synchronize with a leader. The agents, governed by identical high-order discrete-time linear dynamics, are subject to unknown-but-bounded input disturbances. In terms of its own state information, each agent only has access to measured outputs that are corrupted with unknown-but-bounded output disturbances. Also, the initial states of the agents are unknown. To deal with all these unknowns (or uncertainties), a s…
