An Optimal Control Approach for Consensus of General Linear Time-Invariant Multi-Agent Systems

In this paper, the consensus problem for general linear time-invariant (LTI) multi-agent systems (MASs) with a single input is studied in a new optimal control framework. The optimal cooperative control law is designed from a modified linear quadratic regulator (LQR) method and an inverse optimal control formulation. Three cost function terms are constructed to address the consensus, control effort, and cooperative tracking, respectively. Three distinct features of this approach can be achieved. First, the optimal feedback control law is derived analytically without involving any numerical solution. Second, this formulation guarantees both asymptotic stability and optimality. Third, the cooperative control law is distributed and only requires local information based on the communication topology to enable the agents to achieve consensus and track a desired trajectory. The performance of this optimal cooperative control method is demonstrated through an example of attitude synchronization of multiple satellites.