Trajectory tracking in networks of linear systems

Abstract

This paper proposes a control method for trajectory tracking in interconnected linear systems. The physical couplings among all subsystems are considered by a modification of the reference signals of the individual subsystems. Feedforward controllers are designed for the modified isolated systems. This way of solution leads to a set of differential–algebraic equations whose solution depends on the invariant zeros of the subsystems. The design of the controllers needs only a single communication step for the information exchange between neighboring subsystems. The main results of the paper are a new representation of the internal dynamics as differential–algebraic equations that lead to a relation between the tracked flat output and the original subsystem output and the proof that the proposed networked controllers ensure trajectory tracking.