Finite-time consensus of multi-agent systems with directed and intermittent links

This paper considers the finite-time consensus problem in multi-agent systems with unidirectional and intermittent links. The interaction topology is indeed directed and time-varying. We propose a simple but effective distributed nonlinear protocol in the form of a continuous state feedback and show that if the union of the interaction topology over a period of time contains a spanning tree periodically, then all agents will reach an agreement on states asymptotically; and if the sum of time intervals, over which the interaction topology contains a spanning tree, is sufficiently large, then all agents will reach an agreement on states in a finite time.