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Distributed Convex Optimization for Flocking of Nonlinear Multi-agent Systems

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  • Control Theory and Applications
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Abstract

A distributed optimization problem with differentiable convex objective function is discussed for continuous-time multi-agent systems with flocking behavior of a nonlinear continuous function. The goal of this paper is to design a controller by using only local interaction information, thus making velocities of all agents be the same. Then the stability of the multi-agent systems is proved and the velocities converge to the value minimizing the sum of local objective functions. Moreover, the paper got some sufficient conditions for the consensus and the optimization. Finally, a numerical case is used to verify the analytical results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Science, Civil Aviation University of China, No. 2898, Jinbei Road, Tianjin, 300300, P. R. China

    Qing Zhang, Zhikun Gong & Zhengquan Yang

  2. Department of Automation, Nankai University, No. 94, Wenjin Road, tianjin, 300071, P. R. China

    Zengqiang Chen

Authors
  1. Qing Zhang
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  2. Zhikun Gong
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  3. Zhengquan Yang
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  4. Zengqiang Chen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhengquan Yang.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Juhoon Back under the direction of Editor Yoshito Ohta. This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(61573199).

Qing Zhang received her B.S. degree in mathematics from Nankai University in 1987, and her M.S. degree from Nankai University in 2006. She is currently a professor in college of Science, Civil Aviation University of China. Her research interests include complex Networks and multi-agents system.

Zhi-Kun Gong received her B.S. degree in mathematics and applied mathematics from Datong University in 2016, and she is studying in mathematics and applied mathematics of Civil Aviation University of China. Her research interests include multi-agents system.

Zhen-Quan Yang received her B.S. degree in mathematics from the Institute of mathematics, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China, in 2003, and his Ph.D. in Operational Research and Control Theory from Nankai University, Tianjin, China, in 2009. He has been working at Civil Aviation University of China. His research interests include synchronization of complex networks and flocking of multi-agents.

Zeng-Qiang Chen received her B.S. degree in mathematics, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in control theory and control engineering from Nankai University, Tianjin, China, in 1987, 1990, and 1997, respectively. He has been at Nankai University, where he is currently a professor in the Department of Automation. His research interests include complex networks, neural network control, and multi-agents system.

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Zhang, Q., Gong, Z., Yang, Z. et al. Distributed Convex Optimization for Flocking of Nonlinear Multi-agent Systems. Int. J. Control Autom. Syst. 17, 1177–1183 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12555-018-0191-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12555-018-0191-x

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