Formation and Containment Control for High-order Linear Swarm Systems

This book focuses on analysis and design problems for high-order linear time-invariant (LTI) swarm systems (multi-agent systems) to achieve consensus, formation, containment and formation-containment. As a first step, the concepts of practical consensus and formation-containment are introduced. Unlike previous research, the formation in this book can be time-varying. A general framework for consensus, consensus tracking, formation, containment and state formation-containment is presented for the first time.

Sufficient/necessary and sufficient conditions, and approaches to designing the protocols for swarm systems to achieve these control objectives, are respectively proposed. Autonomous time-varying formation experiments using five quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are conducted in an outdoor setting to demonstrate the theoretical results.

“The book under review is an excellent Ph. D. dissertation on the topic of formation and containment control for high-order linear swarm systems. … The book is well organized, precise, interesting, and readable even for the reader with a moderate engineering background. It can be regarded as a very good reference book for scholars and students who are interested in swarm systems control.” (Yun Zou, Mathematical Reviews, October, 2016)

“This is an interesting book published as a version of a PhD thesis. It focuses on the analytics of fundamental aspects of swarm robots modeled as multiagent systems, where individual and collective behaviors of the swarms play key roles in the success of the systems.” (Mehmet Aydin, Computing Reviews, April, 2016)

Research interests:
Multi-agent system
Consensus control
Formation control
Containment control
Formation-containment control
Unmanned aerial vehicle
Embedded system

Previous degrees:

Ph.D. Control Science and Engineering September 2009 - July 2014
Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P. R. China
Supervisor: Prof. Yisheng Zhong
B.E. Automation September 2005 - July 2009
School of Automation, Chongqing University, Chongqing, P. R. China

Prizes and awards:
[1] Outstanding Graduates of Beijing, 2014
[2] Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation of Tsinghua University, 2014
[3] Academic Rookie in Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, 2014
[4] National Scholarship for Doctoral Candidate, 2013
[5] Second Scholarship of Tsinghua Zhiyou-Guanghua, 2012
[6] Second Scholarship for Graduate Summer Intern of Tsinghua University, 2012
[7] Advanced Individual of Graduate Union, Dept. of Automation,Tsinghua University, 2011
[8] Siemens A&D Scholarship, 2008
[9] First Prize in America Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling, 2008

[10] Second Prize in China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, 2007
[11] Excellent Student Scholarship of Chongqing University for 6 times. 2005-2009

Journal publications:
[1] X.W. Dong, J.X. Xi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Formation control for high-order linear time-invariant multi-agent systems with time delays, IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, 2014, 1(3): 232-240. (Regular paper)
[2] X.W. Dong, B.C. Yu, Z.Y. Shi, Y.S. Zhong, Time-varying formation control for unmanned aerial vehicles: Theories and applications, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 2015, 23(1): 340-348. (IF=2.521, Q1)
[3] X.W. Dong, F.L. Meng, Z.Y. Shi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Output containment control for swarm systems with general linear dynamics: A dynamic output feedback approach, Systems & Control Letters, 2014, 71(1): 31-37. (IF=1.886, Q2)
[4] X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Time-varying formation control for high-order linear swarm systems with switching interaction topologies, IET Control Theory & Applications, 2014, 8(18): 2162-2170.
 (IF=1.844, Q2)
[5] X.W. Dong, J.X. Xi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Containment analysis and design for high-order linear time-invariant singular swarm systems with time delays, International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 2014, 24(7): 1189-1204. (IF=2.652, Q1)
[6] X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Output containment analysis and design for high-order linear time-invariant swarm systems, International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, in press, 2013. DOI: 10.1002/rnc.3118. (IF=2.652, Q1)
[7] X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Formation-containment analysis and design for high-order linear time-invariant swarm systems, International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, in press, 2014. DOI: 10.1002/rnc.3274. (IF=2.652, Q1)
[8] X.W. Dong, J.X. Xi, Z.Y. Shi, Y.S. Zhong, Practical consensus for high-order linear time-invariant swarm systems with interaction uncertainties, time-varying delays and external disturbances, International Journal of Systems Science, 2013, 44(10): 1843-1856. (IF=1.579, Q2)
[9] X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Time-varying output formation control for high-order linear time-invariant swarm systems, Information Sciences, 2015, 298(20): 36-52. (IF=3.893, Q1)

Conference publications:
[1] X.W. Dong, J.X. Xi, Z.Y. Shi, Y.S. Zhong, Consensus for high-order time-delayed swarm systems with uncertainties and external disturbances, in Proceedings of 30th Chinese Control Conference, pp. 4852-4859, 2011.
[2] X.W. Dong, J.X. Xi, Z.Y. Shi, Y.S. Zhong, Containment analysis and design for high-order linear time-invariant singular swarm systems with time delays, in Proceedings of 31st Chinese Control Conference, pp. 6296-6302, 2012.
[3] X.W. Dong, J.X.Xi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Formation analysis and feasibility for high-order linear time-invariant swarm systems with time delays, in Proceedings of 32nd Chinese Control Conference, pp. 7023-7029, 2013.
[4] X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Output containment control for high-order linear time-invariant swarm systems, in Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on  Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, pp. 285-290, 2013.
[5] X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Formation-containment control for high-order linear time-invariant multi-agent systems, in Proceedings of 33rd Chinese Control Conference, pp. 1190-1196, 2014.
[6] B.C. Yu, X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, Y.S. Zhong, Formation control for quadrotor swarm systems: Algorithms and experiments, in Proceedings of 32nd Chinese Control Conference, pp. 7099-7104, 2013.
[7] B.C. Yu, X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, Y.S. Zhong, Formation-containment control for unmanned aerial vehicle swarm system, in Proceedings of 33rd Chinese Control Conference, pp. 1517-1523, 2014.
[8] Y. Zhou, X.W. Dong, G. Lu, Y.S. Zhong, Time-varying formation control for unmanned aerial vehicles with switching interaction topologies, in Proceedings of 2014 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, pp. 1203-1209, 2014.

Papers revised/under review:
[1] X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, Z. Ren, Y.S. Zhong, Output formation-containment control for high-order linear time-invariant multi-agent systems, Systems & Control Letters, revised, 2014.
[2] X.W. Dong, Q.D. Li, Z. Ren, Y.S. Zhong, Formation-containment control for high-order linear time-invariant multi-agent systems with time delays, Journal of the Franklin Institute, under review, 2014.
[3] X.W. Dong, Z.Y. Shi, Z. Ren, Y.S. Zhong, Output formation-containment control for swarm systems with directed topologies, The 27th Chinese Control and Decision Conference, under review, 2014.

[4] X.W. Dong, Q.D. Li, Z. Ren, Y.S. Zhong, Formation-containment analysis and design forhigh-order linear time-invariant swarm systems with time delays, The 34th Chinese Control Conference, under review, 2014.

Activities:

IEEE Young Professionals Member, IEEE Member, IEEE Communications Society Member

■ Journal Reviewer
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control,
IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics,
IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics,
Automatica,
Systems & Control Letters,
International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control,
International Journal of Systems Science,
IET Control Theory & Applications,
Asian Journal of Control

■ Conference Reviewer
American Control Conference,
IEEE Conference on Decision and Control,
Asian Control Conference,
Chinese Control Conference, Chinese Control and Decision Conference