An ℌ∞/ℓ1 approach to cooperative control of multi-agent systems

This paper proposes a multi-objective controller synthesis strategy for the design of distributed formation control schemes for multi-agent systems. The agents are modeled as identical linear discrete-time invariant systems. The proposed synthesis method is based on a recent analysis result that poses a constraint on a closed-loop ℓ₁ norm to guarantee robust stability of a formation under arbitrary switching in the communication topology and time-varying communication delays. It is shown how formation controllers can be designed to minimize a H_∞ performance measure while guaranteeing robust stability. The method is illustrated by simulation studies with a formation of quad-rotor helicopters.