Exponential finite-time circle formation of multi-agent systems and its application in circle containment

This paper studies the exponential finite-time formation problems for a group of locomotive agents that maintain order on a circle. In an ideal environment, that is, without external disturbances, a combined protocol with linear continuous-time states and their nonlinear continuous functions is proposed. Each agent can adjust the movement speed itself by changing the exponent of the nonlinear function. The obtained closed-loop system will converge with an exponential speed when the initial states of the agents are far from the target location, and with a finite-time speed nearby. For the case with external disturbances, a combined protocol with linear continuous-time states and their sign functions is presented. Due to the discontinuity of the sign functions, the Filippov solutions are employed. The exponential finite-time circle formation will be achieved even in the existence of external disturbances. Moreover, the above result is extended to the application in circle containment, where the defenders will form a circle formation to surround the swarm of protectees. Finally, several computational simulations illustrate the validity of the proposed protocols.