Control protocol design for group consensus in heterogeneous multi-agent systems with communication interruptions and external disturbances

This paper studied the group consensus problem in heterogeneous multi-agent systems (HMASs) subject to input delays, denial of service (DoS) attacks, and external disturbances. The agents interact within a cooperative-competitive network, where first- and second-order dynamics coexist. To address the challenges introduced by disruptions in communication and system heterogeneity, an intermittent control protocol was designed. This protocol operates based on a time-varying binary signal that reflects the availability of communication. Control actions are suspended during DoS intervals and resume when communication is restored. The proposed method incorporates virtual velocity estimation to handle mixed-order agents and employs frequency-domain analysis, specifically the Nyquist stability criterion, to derive algebraic conditions that ensure consensus. These conditions relate the maximum allowable delay to system topology, attack patterns, and disturbance levels. Numerical simulations demonstrate that consensus can be achieved under both directed and undirected network structures, even in the presence of constrained DoS disruptions and bounded disturbances.