Stability analysis method and application of multi-agent systems from the perspective of hybrid systems

Many multi-agent systems (MASs) can be regarded as hybrid systems that contain continuous variables and discrete events exhibiting both continuous and discrete behavior. An MAS can accomplish complex tasks through communication, coordination, and cooperation among different agents. The complex, adaptive and dynamic characteristics of MASs can affect their stability that is critical for MAS performance. In order to analyze the stability of MASs, we propose a stability analysis method based on invariant sets and Lyapunov's stability theory. As a typical MAS, an unmanned ground vehicle formation is used to evaluate the proposed method. We design discrete modes and control polices for the MAS composed of unmanned ground vehicles to guarantee that the agents can cooperate with each other to reliably achieve a final assignment. Meanwhile, the stability analysis is given according to the definition of MAS stability. Simulation results illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.