Nonlinear Multi-Agent System Consensus with Time-Varying Delays

Abstract Most consensus protocols for Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) presented in the past do not consider communication constraints such as delays in the exchange of information between the agents. In this paper, we provide conditions for a nonlinear, locally passive MAS with time-varying communication delays to reach a consensus, using a recently presented method based on an invariance principle for Lyapunov-Razumikhin functions. We consider both the cases of fixed and switching topologies. In the case of a fixed topology, the underlying directed graph has to contain a spanning tree. In the case of a switching topology, only the union graph of all graphs that persist over time is required to contain a spanning tree.

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