Output Homogenization and Synchronization of Heterogeneous Nonlinear Multiagent Networks

In this article, we are concerned with the output synchronization of a group of heterogeneous agents with nonlinear dynamics. It is shown that via dynamic coupling, the output synchronization problem is transformed into a family of output homogenization and internal-model-based synchronization problems. In contrast to conventional approaches, the adopted approach does not rely on the generation of a specific reference trajectory, to be tracked by all agents. Based on this premise, we propose a distributed state-feedback protocol driving all the heterogeneous multiagent individual systems onto a copy of a virtual reference signal. Invoking the results from the theory of output regulation and cooperative control, the state-feedback controller synthesis is conducted to achieve the output synchronization of heterogeneous multiagent networks. Immediate extensions of the obtained results to observer-based control are also discussed. The effectiveness of the proposed output synchronization algorithm is verified through theoretical analysis and case studies.