Distributed Coordination Strategies for Interconnected Multi-Agent Systems

In this paper we present a novel distributed supervision strategy for multi-agent linear systems connected via data networks and subject to coordination constraints. Such a coordination-by-constraint paradigm is based on an on-line active set-point management and is characterized by a set of spatially distributed dynamic systems, connected via communication channels, with possibly dynamical coupling amongst them which need to be supervised and coordinated in order to accomplish their overall objective. Two distributed strategies will be fully described and analyzed. First, we will propose a “sequential” distributed strategy in which only one agent at the time is allowed to manipulate its own reference signal. Such a strategy will be instrumental to introduce a more effective “parallel” distributed strategy, in which all agents are allowed, under certain conditions, to modify their own reference signals simultaneously. To show the effectiveness of the proposed methods, the distributed coordination of dynamically coupled autonomous vehicles under input-saturation and formation accuracy constraints is presented.