Local controller synthesis for Multi-Agent Systems subject to time-varying communication delays

In this paper we investigate the robust controller design problem for a Multi-Agent System (MAS). The agents are modeled as identical LTI systems and the way in which they exchange information is modeled by a directed graph. The communication structure may be subject to changes and is affected by time-varying delays. Moreover, the communication delays may also affect an agent´s own outputs. We extend an approach of synthesizing a controller that stabilizes arbitrarily switching communication topologies by robustifying the controller with respect to unknown and time-varying but bounded communication delays. To improve the performance of the controller, we introduce a prediction scheme using non-causal uncertainty blocks. The results are illustrated by a comparison of a simulated formation flight of quad-rotor helicopters.