Sufficient conditions for the convergence of a class of nonlinear distributed consensus algorithms

This paper is concerned with the convergence of a class of continuous-time nonlinear consensus algorithms for single integrator agents. In the consensus algorithms studied here, the control input of each agent is assumed to be a state-dependent combination of the relative positions of its neighbors in the information flow graph. Using a novel approach based on the smallest order of the nonzero derivative, it is shown that under some mild conditions the convex hull of the agents has a contracting property. A set-valued LaSalle-like approach is subsequently employed to show the convergence of the agents to a common point. The results are shown to be more general than the ones reported in the literature in some cases. An illustrative example demonstrates how the proposed convergence conditions can be verified. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.