Robust finite-time connectivity preserving consensus tracking and formation control for multi-agent systems

In this paper, we consider finite-time connectivity preserving coordination problems for second-order multi-agent systems with disturbances and limited sensing range. Based on integral sliding mode control and artificial potential field, a distributed controller is developed to achieve robust finite-time consensus and meanwhile maintain the connectivity of the communication network. An integral sliding mode based control strategy is proposed such that the disturbance is rejected by a discontinuous control term and the connectivity of the network is preserved by the nominal control. The method is further extended to address a finite-time formation tracking control problem.