A novel class of fixed-time consensus protocols for multi-agent systems with simple dynamics

This paper investigates the fixed-time consensus problem for a class of multi-agent systems with simple dynamics. Unlike the traditional way to realize fixed-time convergence, a novel strategy using the property of periodic functions is proposed to achieve fixed-time convergence. On this basis, novel protocols for achieving fixed-time consensus and fixed-time average consensus are then given, where the upper bound of the consensus time is independent of initial conditions. Moreover, the result of fixed-time average consensus is extended to a more general case, where the weights of different states can be allocated in advance. Finally, the fixed-time consensus in the presence of disturbances is derived with the help of sliding mode control, where a fixed-time sliding manifold and fixed-time reaching law are designed. All the conclusions are demonstrated by dedicated simulation examples.