Cooperative robust output regulation for a class of nonlinear multi-agent systems subject to a nonlinear leader system

Abstract

In this paper, we study the cooperative robust output regulation problem for a class of nonlinear multi-agent systems subject to a nonlinear leader system. We first establish a result on the existence of a distributed observer for a class of nonlinear leader systems. Then, we convert the cooperative robust output regulation problem into a robust stabilization problem of an augmented system composed of the given multi-agent system and the distributed internal model. Finally, we stabilize this augmented system by a decentralized output feedback control law, which together with the distributed observer and the distributed internal model, constitutes an overall distributed output feedback control law to solve the cooperative robust output regulation problem of the given multi-agent system. An example with the well-known Van der Pol system as the leader system is used to illustrate our design.