Fully Distributed Event-Triggered Robust Cooperative Control for Multi-Agent Systems

Abstract

Cooperative control of multi-agent systems (MASs) is essential in applications such as surveillance, formation flying, and load transportation, offering improved functionality and robustness compared to single-agent configurations. However, many existing control protocols rely on global network information, limiting their applicability to varying communication topologies. This thesis addresses the challenge of achieving fully distributed cooperative control under limited communication, computation, and energy resources. A systematic design methodology for event-triggered control schemes is proposed, enabling protocols to depend solely on local information. First, an adaptive sliding-mode-based event-triggered formation control framework is developed for leader-follower MASs with disturbances, ensuring finite-time sliding-surface reachability and Zeno-freeness. Second, an adaptive dynamic event-triggered approach with integral sliding surfaces and variable triggering intervals is designed to enhance resource efficiency. Third, for networked Euler–Lagrange systems with uncertainties, a nested adaptive sliding-mode estimator and robust event-based control strategy are introduced to compensate for nonlinearities and disturbances. Fourth, a fully distributed adaptive dynamic event-based control scheme addresses time-varying formations under switching topologies, input saturation, and unreliable communication. All proposed strategies are theoretically validated using Lyapunov methods, ensuring stability and convergence, and experimentally verified with multiple quadrotors, demonstrating effective consensus, formation maintenance, and communication efficiency. The results highlight the theoretical significance and practical applicability of fully distributed event-triggered cooperative control for MASs in dynamic and resource-constrained environments.