Hierarchical Bipartite Time-Varying Formation Containment Control for Large-Scale Multiagent Systems

This article studies bipartite time-varying formation-containment control (FCC) for large-scale multiagent systems (MASs) with unknown input of the leader. Large-scale systems are layered and grouped according to tasks to accomplish hierarchical bipartite time-varying FCC. It solves problems of strong coupling, communication redundancy, and collision avoidance in large-scale networks and enables many followers to implement new interactive behaviors in multiple convex hulls formed by leaders. First, for a constructed four-layer topology with group directed spanning tree, hierarchical bipartite time-varying FCC protocols with a collision avoidance term are designed to achieve collision-free bipartite group tracking control in a multiconvex hull. Then, appropriate control parameters are designed in protocols to promote effective information transmission between layers and groups. Compared with existing FCC strategies, hierarchical bipartite time-varying FCC strategies improve the control performance of MASs. Finally, the effectiveness of all protocols is proved through Lyapunov’s theorem and linear matrix inequality. The feasibility of protocols was verified through simulations.