Semi-global fault-tolerant cooperative output regulation of heterogeneous multi-agent systems with actuator saturation

Abstract

We present a general double-layer scheme for resolving the cooperative output regulation problem of heterogeneous multi-agent systems subject to actuator saturation and faults. In the network layer, an observer is constructed to generate a reference trajectory for each follower on the directed communication topology, while a semi-global fault-tolerant control strategy is developed to compensate for the detrimental impact of actuator saturation and faults in the physical layer. Specifically, for the exosystem on the directed graph, a fully distributed virtual cooperative control protocol is designed to make followers with different dynamics contact with each other and guide them to a specific cooperative behavior, based on which a fault-tolerant control strategy is implemented. It is demonstrated that the resulting closed-loop system is asymptotically stable and the regulated output converges to zero. As compared to existing tracking control approaches, the assumption on system dynamics and communication topology can be relaxed, which leads to better generality in engineering practice. Finally, a numerical simulation case study is provided to testify the feasibility of the proposed strategy.