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Stable flocking motion of mobile agents following a leader in fixed and switching networks

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Abstract

Multiple mobile agents with double integrator dynamics, following a leader to achieve a flocking motion formation, are studied in this paper. A class of local control laws for a group of mobile agents is proposed. From a theoretical proof, the following conclusions are reached: (i) agents globally align their velocity vectors with a leader, (ii) they converge their velocities to the leaders velocity, (iii) collisions among interconnected agents are avoided, and (iv) agent’s artificial potential functions are minimized. We model the interaction and/or communication relationship between agents by algebraic graph theory. Stability analysis is achieved by using classical Lyapunov theory in a fixed network topology, and differential inclusions and nonsmooth analysis in a switching network topology respectively. Simulation examples are provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of control science & Engineering, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, 430074, PRC

    Hui Yu & Yong-Ji Wang

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  1. Hui Yu
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  2. Yong-Ji Wang
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Correspondence to Hui Yu.

Additional information

This work was supported in part by the NSFC (No.60274020), and the NSFC International Collaborative Project (No.60340420431).

Hui Yu was born in Yichang, Hubei, P. R. China, in 1967. He received his BSc degree in Mathematics Education from Central China Normal University, Wuhan, P. R. China, a M. S. degree in System analysis and integration from East China Normal University, Shanghai, P. R. China, in 1991 and 1999, respectively. From July 1999 to September 2004, he was a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P. R. China. Since September 2004, he has been a doctoral candidate at the Department of Control Science & Engineering, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China. His research interests are in the distributed coordination of mobile autonomous multiagents, as well as the application of mobile sensor networks and robotics.

Yong-Ji Wang was born in Ji’an, Jiangxi, P.R. China, in 1955. He received his BSc degree in Electrical Engineering from Shanghai Railway University, Shanghai, P.R. China, an M.S. degree and a Ph.D degree in automation from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China, in 1982, 1984 and 1990, respectively. Since 1984, he has been at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China, where he is currently a Professor of Electrical Engineering. His main interest is in intelligent control, neural network, predictive, adaptive control, and most recently, coordination and control of large groupings of mobile autonomous agents.

Dr. Wang is a member of the IEEE, USA, a standing member of the council of the Electric Automation Committee of the Chinese Automation Society, and a member of the council of the Intelligent Robot Committee of the Chinese Artificial Intelligence Society. He is an area editor (Asia and Pacific) of the Int. J. of Simulation Identification and Control.

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Yu, H., Wang, YJ. Stable flocking motion of mobile agents following a leader in fixed and switching networks. Int J Automat Comput 3, 8–16 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-006-0008-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-006-0008-x

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