Finite-time connectivity-preserving consensus for second-order nonlinear multiagent systems

In this paper, the finite-time consensus problem for second-order nonlinear multiagent systems under communication constraints is investigated, where each agent has a limited sensing range. A distributed discontinuous control protocol is proposed to make a team of agents reach consensus in finite time when disturbances exist in multiagent systems. Then, for multiagent systems without disturbances, a new piece-wise continuous protocol is presented to make the agents achieve consensus in finite time. Furthermore, it is shown that initial interaction patterns are preserved under these control protocols. Finally, some numerical examples are provided to illustrate the theoretical results.