A method for designing the communication structure of networked controllers

The paper analyses the command-following behaviour of synchronised systems in dependence upon the communication structure of the networked controller. Its focus lies on the transient behaviour before the subsystems reach a common trajectory. It considers the dynamics of the subsystems as the main reason for the delay that the information about the reference trajectory is exposed to between the leader and the followers on a communication path, whereas the communication network is assumed to provide instantaneous information transmission. An abstract model of the overall system is introduced that represents the coupling structure of the agents together with a quantitative delay measure. This model is used to determine communication structures in which all agent outputs follow the reference trajectory with small delay. It helps to find a trade-off between the number of communication links and the quality of the system performance. The results are illustrated by its application to a robot formation problem.

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