Event-Triggered Distributed Sliding Mode Control of Fractional-Order Nonlinear Multi-Agent Systems

In this study, the state consensus problem is investigated for a class of nonlinear fractional-order multi-agent systems (FOMASs) by using a dynamics event-triggered sliding mode control approach. The main objective is to steer all agents to some bounded position based on their own information and the information of neighbor agent. Different from the existing results, both asymptotic consensus problem and Zeno-free behavior are ensured simultaneously. To reach this objective, a novel event-triggered sliding mode control approach is proposed, composed of distributed dynamic event-triggered schemes, event-triggered sliding mode controllers, and auxiliary switching functions. Moreover, to implement the distributed control scheme, the fractional-order adaptive law is also developed to tuning the coupling weight, which is addressed in distributed protocol. With the improved distributed control scheme, all signals in the fractional-order closed-loop systems are guaranteed to be consensus and bounded, and a novel approach is developed to avoid the Zeno behavior. Finally, the availability and the effectiveness of the above-mentioned approach are demonstrated by means of a numerical example.

Automated summary

This study investigates the state consensus problem for a class of nonlinear fractional-order multi-agent systems (FOMASs) using a dynamics event-triggered sliding mode control approach. The main objective is to steer all agents to some bounded position based on their own information and the information of neighbor agents. Unlike previous results, both asymptotic consensus problem and Zeno-free behavior are ensured simultaneously. To achieve this, a novel event-triggered sliding mode control approach is proposed, consisting of distributed dynamic event-triggered schemes, event-triggered sliding mode controllers, and auxiliary switching functions. Additionally, a fractional-order adaptive law is developed to tune the coupling weight in the distributed control scheme. The improved distributed control scheme guarantees consensus and boundedness of all signals in the fractional-order closed-loop systems and provides a novel approach to avoid Zeno behavior. The effectiveness and availability of the approach are demonstrated through a numerical example.