Consensus of linear multi-agent systems with communication and input delays

In this paper, we consider the consensus problem of a group of general linear agents with communication and input delays under a fixed, undirected network topology. By factorizing the characteristic equation of the multi-agent system into a set of reduced-order factors, the problem is transformed to the stability analysis of resulting factors with reduction in complexity. Furthermore, stable ranges of the control gain, such that the consensus of multi-agent systems could be reached when delays vanish, are analyzed. With control gain confined to stable ranges, and applying the advanced clustering with frequency sweeping method to investigate the stability of factors, the delay-independent and delay-dependent consensus are discussed. An illustrative example is offered to verify the analytical conclusions. Copyright © 2013 Acta Automatica Sinica. All rights reserved.