Multi-constraint collaborative strategy for intelligent agent formation considering communication delay

To network multiple patrol intelligent agents for combat and enhance the capability of penetrating high-value targets, we propose a distributed adaptive collaborative strategy that considers communication delays and multiple constraints. We design a sliding mode controller based on a high-gain observer in the normal direction of the line of sight; this controller does not require information on the line-of-sight angular velocity. This enables the line-of-sight angular velocity state and system to stabilize quickly. To address communication delays, we employ an integral sliding mode grounded in the theory of collaborative consistency in the line-of-sight direction. We can thus design distributed control variables that converge within finite time during the mission. By constructing Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals and applying Lyapunov theory, we demonstrate that the system is uniformly ultimately bounded. Simulation experiments indicate that, compared to existing methods, our strategy enables intelligent agent formations to exhibit superior collaborative performance under delayed and multi-constraint conditions.