Distributed output feedback consensus tracking prescribed performance control for a class of non‐linear multi‐agent systems with unknown disturbances

Abstract

This paper studies the problem of distributed output feedback consensus tracking control for leader–following non-linear multi-agent systems in strict-feedback form under a directed graph topology with prescribed performance requirement. The unknown external disturbances are considered in the followers. First, the authors design reduced-order observers to estimate the unmeasured state variables of the followers online. Then, the novel controllers are designed with prescribed performance control based on backstepping method. The dynamic surface control technique is used to deal with the calculating explosion problem. It is strictly proved that the resulting whole system is stable in the sense of semi-globally uniformly ultimately boundedness and both transient and steady-state performance of consensus tracking errors are preserved based on Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, a simulation example is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.