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Volume 13 Issue 10
Oct.  2026

IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica

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L. Ji, H. Wang, and C. Zhang, “Optimal consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent system with unknown dynamics,” IEEE/CAA J. Autom. Sinica, vol. 13, no. 10, pp. 2300–2311, Oct. 2026. doi: 10.1109/JAS.2026.125855
Citation: L. Ji, H. Wang, and C. Zhang, “Optimal consensus of heterogeneous multi-agent system with unknown dynamics,” IEEE/CAA J. Autom. Sinica, vol. 13, no. 10, pp. 2300–2311, Oct. 2026. doi: 10.1109/JAS.2026.125855

Optimal Consensus of Heterogeneous Multi-Agent System With Unknown Dynamics

doi: 10.1109/JAS.2026.125855
Funds:  This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (62276036), the Innovation and Development Joint Fund Project of Chongqing Natural Science Foundation (CSTB2024NSCQ-LZX0118), and the Major Project of Scientific and Technological Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (KJZD-M202100602)
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  • This paper addresses the optimal consensus problem for heterogeneous multi-agent systems (MASs) with unknown dynamics. To eliminate dependence on accurate system models, we design distinct performance index functions for first-order and second-order agents, separating their tracking tasks. We employ a reinforcement learning algorithm to estimate the optimal performance index function and control policies. To enhance training stability, a novel training mode and a state-constrained iterative algorithm are proposed, with their convergence and optimality rigorously analyzed. Furthermore, a new error calculation method is introduced to accurately describe agent-neighbor distances, accelerating convergence and reducing energy consumption. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is validated through simulations.

     

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