Sliding mode fault tolerant consensus control for multi-agent systems based on super-twisting observer

The fault-tolerant consensus problem for leader-following nonlinear multi-agent systems with actuator faults is mainly investigated. A new super-twisting sliding mode observer is constructed to estimate the velocity and undetectable fault information simultaneously. The time-varying gain is introduced to solve the initial error problem and peak value problem, which makes the observation more accurate and faster. Then, based on the estimated results, an improved sliding mode fault-tolerant consensus control algorithm is designed to compensate the actuator faults. The protocol can guarantee the finite-time consensus control of multi-agent systems and suppress chattering. Finally, the effectiveness and the superiority of the observer and control algorithm are proved by some simulation examples of the multi-aircraft system.