Disturbance observer-based sliding mode control for consensus tracking of chaotic nonlinear multi-agent systems

This paper deals with the finite-time consensus of chaotic MIMO nonlinear heterogeneous multi-agent systems subjected to matched uncertainties and disturbances. This study proposes a consensus protocol utilizing a novel dynamic sliding mode control, ensuring robust performance and chattering attenuation. For this purpose, firstly, a new time-varying nonlinear sliding manifold is introduced that guarantees exponential finite-time stability. Secondly, a novel reaching law is established that ensures fixed reaching time independent of initial conditions. The fixed reaching time enables the specification of the reaching time by considering the problem constraints. Then, a novel terminal disturbance observer is proposed to efficiently estimate the overall effect of uncertainties and disturbances in the finite-time. Finally, an adaptive form of the proposed controller is presented by incorporating the disturbance observer into the proposed sliding mode control. The proposed consensus protocols are applied to a multi-agent system consisting of two well-known chaotic power systems (PMSM and BLDCM). Computer simulations and comparative studies confirm the results of this study in terms of tracking errors and fast convergence. (c) 2021 International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (IMACS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the finite-time consensus problem of chaotic MIMO nonlinear heterogeneous multi-agent systems with matched uncertainties and disturbances. A novel dynamic sliding mode control protocol is proposed, which ensures robust performance and chattering attenuation. The paper introduces a new time-varying nonlinear sliding manifold to guarantee exponential finite-time stability. A novel reaching law is established to ensure fixed reaching time independent of initial conditions. The paper also presents a novel terminal disturbance observer for efficient estimation of uncertainties and disturbances. The proposed consensus protocols are applied to a multi-agent system consisting of two well-known chaotic power systems, and the results are validated through computer simulations and comparative studies.