Prescribed-Time Practical Consensus of Nonlinear Multi-Agent Systems Subject to DoS Attacks via Event-Triggered Mechanism

This article studies the prescribed-time practical consensus problem for nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) subject to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks via an intermittent-based event-triggered mechanism. To this end, we first propose a time-varying scaling function based on the intermittent period, and then use this function to derive a new practical prescribed-time stability theory. Second, this paper further designs an intermittent-based event-triggered control protocol, along with a corresponding triggered function. The main innovation of this protocol is its ability to avoid singular phenomena as time approaches the prescribed instant and to reduce communication costs among all agents. Additionally, some sufficient conditions for achieving leader-following practical consensus are deduced by the proposed prescribed-time stability theory while also excluding Zeno behavior. Finally, two examples are given to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the theoretical results. Note to Practitioners—This paper is motivated by security consensus challenges in cyber-physical systems, with a particular focus on cost efficiency and convergence performance. Existing prescribed-time security consensus solutions often overlooked the singularity of prescribed instant. Our work addresses a critical issue in MASs vulnerable to DoS attacks. The proposed control strategy is especially relevant for systems susceptible to network attacks, such as microgrids, UAVs, and submarine systems. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. Future research will tackle the complete consensus problem for MASs within the prescribed-time.